Into the Wild
by Jalen Kun
Summary: "Learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow." When a teenager turns sixteen-years-old, they're finally eligible for their trainer's license, and they're able to legally venture into the world as a Pokemon Trainer. Life doesn't always go as planned, however... (Full Summary Inside) (OC Story)
1. Prologue: One

**Well, this is awkward.**

 **I don't know what to say, really. I miss this site, and you guys' words touched me, and . . . I really missed updating and smiling whenever I got a review/follow/whatever. Most of you probably don't even know what I'm talking about, but for those who do? Well . . . I guess I'm back? Ahahahaha- *gets ran over by a white van***

 **Seriously, though, I'm posting this here to see what sort of reaction I'll receive. If I don't get many reviews, or follow/favorites, or many submissions . . . then I'll just delete this story and run away again. SO TELL EVERYONE RIGHT NOW. JALEN KUN IS (PROBABLY) BACK AND HE NEEDS US TO BE THERE FOR HIM BECAUSE HE'S A REVIEW-WHORE THAT NEEDS TO BE PLEASURED.**

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 **Full Summary:** "Learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow." When a teenager turns sixteen-years-old, they're finally eligible for their trainer's license, and they're able to legally venture into the world as a Pokémon Trainer. It's not the most successful profession, nor the most stable - but fame, and maybe even fortune, is guaranteed to the most victorious trainers. Life doesn't always go as planned, however. With the infamous terrorist gang, Team Rocket, blasting its way into Kanto News, will a certain group of Pokémon Trainers be able to stop them? Or will the shadows of their world overcome them? (Submit Your Own Character!)

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"Well?" Prof. Oak's female assistant, Lydia, leaned against the wall. In her recently manicured hands were a few stacks of papers, neatly stuffed in multiple manilla folders. She quirked an eyebrow at the elderly man, smiling a little. "Is everything ready for the new trainers tomorrow?"

Prof. Samuel Oak sighed. It was a deep, long sigh that could only be attained through years and years of work and responsibility. Prof. Oak didn't mind the responsibility of being Kanto's number one Pokemon Researcher, and he absolutely loved his job to death - but things were growing a little bit differently nowadays. A lot different, actually. He could barely keep up with the increasing technology and the overwhelming media influence; this next generation of teenagers looking to be Pokemon Trainers were going to be a handful.

But no matter how he felt, or how worried he was steadily becoming . . . he had a job to do.

"Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle are prepped and ready for their new trainers," he began to explain, taking off his reading glasses to stare at his aide. "I gave them the pep-talk about being on their best behavior, and our team made sure that they were healthy and physically equipped to become Battling Pokemon. We also have everyone's equipment ready, too."

Lydia smiled. She really admired Prof. Oak for his undying dedication to give wannabe Trainers the things necessary to survive in this crazy world. _Crazy_ , she mused, _but beautiful. Really, really beautiful._

He was the reason why she decided to become a Pokemon Researcher in the first place. Not only did she grow up in Pallet Town - therefore allowing her multiple chances to watch the man do his work - but she was absolutely enamored with the Pokemon Universe. The thought of going on her own adventure in the Kanto region was an excitable and terrifying one at the same time; the rewards were amazing, but the risks were just too . . . real for her.

But somehow, Prof. Samuel Oak single-handedly managed to become a Pokemon Champion, as well as a world-renowned Pokemon Researcher. If there was any man in this world that she looked up to, it was him and him alone.

"I need your help with something, however," he said, cutting her out of her thoughts. She nodded, determination flashing behind her own bifocals.

With another sigh, Prof. Oak opened a filing cabinet under his desk, taking out a very small vanilla folder. He placed the folder onto his desk, motioning for Lydia to step closer. She did, leaning in a bit as he opened the folder, revealing a crisp sheet of paper with multiple names and faces printed atop.

Lydia understood exactly what Prof. Oak wanted without him even saying anything. To get a Starter Pokemon from the Lab, teenagers from all across Pallet Town would register to take the test. And even though Pallet Town was considered the least-populated town, it was still pretty big. Nearly a hundred teens would enter and take the test - which consisted of a written exam, a hands-on exercise, and a one-on-one talk with Prof. Oak himself - and only three would actually make it through to become Pokedex Holders, as well as get the three main starter Pokemon.

"You haven't chosen yet?" She asked, almost incredulously. This was unlike the old man. He did things efficiently and with plenty of time to spare.

Prof. Oak gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I guess I'm getting a bit too old for this job . . ."

"Nonsense."

They both shared a chuckle.

"Still," Prof. Oak said, sliding the papers closer to Lydia. "There were a lot of skilled teenagers this year. They desperately want the advantage given to them by us, and I can't possibly choose when all of them really deserve it."

"So you'd like for me to choose?"

The elderly man gave her an apologetic smile. "It would be very helpful."

Lydia should have felt overwhelmed. She should have felt like a giant boulder of stress was just dropped onto her shoulders. She should have felt the anxiety-filled jitters rush through her body.

But she didn't feel any of that. Instead, a mixture of excitement, gratitude, and pride welled up in the pits of her chest. Professor Samuel Oak was allowing her to do something insanely substantial. Professor Samuel Oak, her _idol_ , was entrusting her with something of unparalleled significance. Professor Samuel Oak, her idol, her inspiration for even becoming a Researcher . . . trusted her.

It meant a lot more than he could even imagine.

"Of course, Professor." Lydia grabbed the vanilla folder from off of his desk, basically dropping her own folders on the floor. That stuff was irrelevant. Compared to the honor of choosing the three trainers who'd have their lives changed forever . . . everything was irrelevant.

Professor Oak breathed a sigh of relief, a wrinkly smile gracing his features. "Thank you so much, Ms. Martin. I honestly have no idea what I'd do without you."

Lydia's heart pounded in joy as she left her boss' office. The folder in her hands felt like a giant brick, but she held onto it like her life depended on it. No matter what, she was going to do her idol proud. She was going to pick the very best, the _absolute_ best, and prove to Professor Oak that she had what it took to do many more favors for him.

Lydia didn't realize that her choice was going to affect the Kanto Region in a very, very impactful way.

For better or for worse? Well, that was yet to be determined.

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 **Author's Notes: Hi!**

 **I'm pretty efficient when it comes to things like this. I want things to be perfect, and I want everyone to have the same chances of getting accepted. If you didn't yet know, this is a SYOC (SUBMIT YOUR OWN CHARACTER) story, where you guys will be submitting the Pokemon Trainers (or, y'know, Contest People) that will be running around this crazy region.**

 **Please read the rules that will be posted on my profile. Seriously. It's annoying when people blatantly break one of my rules.**

 **3 characters will be the Pokedex Holders. These 3 will be the ones to gain an official Kanto starter pokemon (Charmander, Bulbasaur, Squirtle) from Prof. Oak, as well as a Pokedex and other miscellaneous items. HEADS UP: It's going to seem like these 3 have a distinct advantage over the other trainers, and that's just because they do. It's life. But that doesn't mean they're more-likely to survive, so don't get too jealous. Unfortunately, these spots are already filled, so please don't submit for them.**

 **9 characters will be the regular Pokemon Trainers. These guys are the ones who don't get a starter from Prof. Oak, and will have to gain their starter Pokemon from other miscellaneous means. These are the spots that YOU GUYS are submitting to! Be creative, but don't be too over-the-top.**

 **Lastly, have fun. :) I don't want this to seem like some deadly competition. The last time that I did something like this, a lot of people weren't accepted, and it wasn't fun at all to decline so many. But in the end, that's just how things might be. Soooo . . . What I'm trying to say is that the overall purpose of this is to have fun creating a character, and have fun reading said character. And even if you aren't accepted into the main group, I still may show a bit of your character in the background somewhere!**

 **Well, that's enough from me. The rules, submission form, and deadline can be found at the very bottom of my profile! I can't wait to see what you all come up with!**

 **(PS: Reviews are MANDATORY. MUAHAHAHAHA.)**


	2. Prologue: Two

Karen didn't understand a lot of things.

When her parents had moved from their small home in Pewter City to some underground bunker in Vermilion City, she didn't understand why. Their life was so quaint, so peaceful, and so _safe_ ; there was absolutely no reason for them to move, at least no reasons that she knew of. When both of her parents were then killed in the infamous Silph CO. heist, she didn't understand why. Why them? There were so many members of Team Rocket, so many members who deserved to die a lot more than her mother and father. Why did it have to be them? And why did their disappearance make her feel so much more . . . _lonely_?

After the move to Vermilion, and their integration into Team Rocket, their tight-knit family had grown apart. They never talked to her, and she didn't talk to them. So why did the world, after their death, feel so dreary and dangerous? Why did she always feel so cold and empty, like something excruciatingly important was missing from her chest?

Karen just didn't understand.

And now her boss, Giovanni, was calling her to his office. It would be an understatement to say that she had no understanding as to why.

It was rare that the boss of Team Rocket ever called anyone to his office, especially a lowly grunt like herself. He spent most of his time away from the Headquarters anyway, doing and planning things that nobody really knew about. Nobody like her, at least; the Admins possibly knew, but they didn't waste their time explaining things to Grunts. Karen was expected to do what she was told and nothing else.

That was a really difficult thing to do, however, considering she questioned everything.

Karen walked down the dark hallways of Team Rocket's Underground HQ, brushing past other Grunts and nodding in respect to those above her. The base was a lot smaller than was generally comfortable, but she heard somewhere that they built it like this to stop nosey twerps from obliterating them from the inside. It had happened before, apparently. Never again.

It took approximately two minutes for her to make it to Giovanni's office. She knocked twice, clearing her throat so that her voice wouldn't sound so weak and pathetic. The man made her nervous, sure, but she didn't want him to think of her as a liability.

"Mr. Giovanni, sir?" A pause. "My name is Karen. You called me into your office a while ago?"

"Come in."

Karen took a breath. And then, mentally coaching herself not to screw up, she opened the door to her boss' office. Giovanni sat in the middle of the room, behind his mahogany desk, his hands folded and his brows furrowed in deep though. There were no lights on, just candles that flickered and popped at random times, making the shadows on the wall jump to and fro.

It might have just been her imagination, but she could have swore that the silhouette of a Gliscor momentarily flashed from behind him.

"Please close the door," Giovanni instructed, his voice deep and threatening. "I don't want to let out the heat."

She thought that the sweat building on her forehead was because of nerves, but maybe it was only the heat? She could pretend, at least, that she wasn't terrified. She could pretend, if only for a little, that she was a hardened member of Team Rocket.

She could pretend.

Closing the door, Karen offered the man a small smile. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked, her airy voice shaking in nerves.

"Not at all," Giovanni said, snorting a bit. Just like that, all of the anxiety filling her veins spilled out, all in one giant sigh of relief. She wasn't in trouble. She was safe to live another day. Giovanni didn't give second-chances, after all; she used to have a friend who was also orphaned after Team Rocket's attack on Goldenrod City a few years ago, and she made the horrible mistake of leaking information of Team Rocket to the media.

Her body was found half-buried in sand. Forensic testing revealed that she was suffocated to death.

The fact that Giovanni was known to own a Hippowdon was deeply disturbing.

"Karen Ross, twenty-three-years-old. You've been a member of Team Rocket since you were only ten-years-old, which is a lot longer than most people make it. Sad, but true." The man behind the desk offered a smile that didn't look as evil as she pictured. "I apologize for the tragic passing of your parents, by the way. I didn't personally know them, but I'm sure that that was not a very pleasant thing to experience."

Karen swallowed hard, refusing to allow the familiar sting of loss to attack her heart. "Don't be," she mumbled — before realizing exactly who she was talking to, and raising her voice. "They were just doing their duty, after all. And it happened so long ago . . . I'm pretty much over it."

Karen could only pretend.

Giovanni chuckled, all signs of apology gone from his face. Karen was amazed at how easily a man like him could switch from apologetic to amused, all in a matter of seconds. He was the boss of Team Rocket for a reason, though; a master-negotiator, as well as a master-battler. A dangerous threat to anyone and anything.

"You're special, Karen," he murmured, his dark eyes boring into her own green orbs. "You've known so much loss, and yet here you are, completely devoted to the Team Rocket mission. But then again, it's all you've ever known, right? You can't get out of something that you were practically born into, after all."

Karen bit her tongue. _I was not born into this. I had friends. I had a real family. I was happy, and I was loved. And it was all stolen from me._

"Of course, sir."

"I admire you. I really, honestly, truly admire you. To actually have survived for this long is an accomplishment of itself — no matter how deeply saddening that fact is — but you're not only surviving. You're living." Giovanni abruptly stood up, his chair making a loud scraping sound against the floor. Karen winced. And once again, the silhouette of a Gliscor made itself known, as Giovanni moved to stand in front of her. "You may not notice this, but I am always watching. Whether it be from the security cameras placed around the base, or from my own eyes . . . I am always watching, Karen, and I notice how you're the only person here who still has a shine in their eyes. You're the only person here with an intact soul."

Karen didn't know how to respond. Not only was her boss directly complimenting her, something that one could only dream of, but he was saying things that were . . . much too weird, and satisfying at the same time. She still had a shine in her eyes; she still had hope for a brighter future, hidden behind layers of curiosity and reluctant obliging. She wasn't like the mindless, evil-spirited people who joined Team Rocket for an escape, or because they were born with darkness. She was _alive_.

She smiled. "Thank you—"

"It's disgusting."

There was a beat of silence. Karen blinked, staring up at the taller man, his eyes widened in nothing short of madness. Cold, calculated madness. She felt a shiver of fear slide down her spine, making itself home in her body. As usual, Giovanni scared her. She was scared to death.

Suddenly, though, the man grinned. ". . . Which is why I'm promoting you. Starting today, Ms. Ross, you will be an official Admin of Team Rocket. Most members can't handle a job like that, because they're so uncaring of the other members that they devise giant holes in their plans. But you, Ms. Ross, actually care. You won't allow anyone in your team to die. You won't allow us to lose."

The twenty-three-year-old woman blinked again. A plethora of emotions rushed through her chest, matching the frantic pace of her mind. Giovanni was promoting her. She was becoming an Admin. But he was doing it because of her humanity. He was taking advantage of the only good trait she had left.

"And if your mission succeeds — which it will — then you will surely be free of those burdening chains you possess," Giovanni explained, turning away from the lady. She felt like she could breathe again, though not much. "Remember, Ms. Ross. Emotions ultimately harm more than they help. Life is cruel. Adapting is the only way to survive."

"What is my mission . . ?" she asked, swallowing down another set of paralyzing nerves. She didn't know how to react — to any of this. But this promotion didn't have to be so bad, right? She didn't have to make it seem like a life-sentence of pain and misery.

Lately, the most that Team Rocket has been doing is smuggling foreign Pokemon, along with miscellaneous weapons. The weapons were unnerving — but nobody was ever hurt during those missions. So what if they stole? It didn't make too much of a difference in the grand scheme of things.

She wouldn't have to do anything that she didn't like.

Giovanni turned back around, smirking. The candle-light hit his face perfectly, allowing a malevolent shadow to overcome his features.

"Your team will be bombing the Viridian City Beginner's Festival."

. . . As Karen left Giovanni's office, a feeling of complete dread washed over her. She just didn't understand. Why would he be interested in killing a bunch of innocents? What did that have to do with stealing Pokemon and taking control of the Kanto Region? The majority of the people there would just be kids, too. Doe-eyed, ignorant, grinning teenagers. What would Giovanni gain from killing them?

 _What about me? Why did I accept the mission? Why am I subjecting myself to this . . . this evil?_

Karen didn't understand a lot of things. But above all, Karen didn't understand why she continued to serve such a maniacal syndicate.

But at the same time, she did; Karen Ross simply did not want to die.

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 **Author's Notes: I should probably re-read this before updating, but I'm lazy and I'll probably end up hating this and messing something up, so I'll just upload and hope for the best. *laughs. coughs. chokes. dies.***

 **A-Anyway, the submission deadline is officially in 7 days. I'm updating today because I really wanted to write another chapter, and this might let new people discover the story (which means more submissions, yay!). I also want you guys to know that Team Rocket will definitely be a huge impact on this story, and considering that I'm trying to make this as realistic as possible (without being TOO dark, don't worry), they will be this gang of dangerous people doing dangerous and even terroristic things. Defeating them in a simple Pokémon battle just might not be enough. Just want to let you guys know...**

 **(Then again, half of the submissions have something to do with Team Rocket being evil and murderous, so I'm sure you guys know what you're getting yourself into.)**

 **ANYWAY, yeah. I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter, and hopefully you didn't find TOO many errors. IF YOU ARE LIVING ON EARTH, YOU MUST LEAVE A REVIEW. All aliens are exempt from this rule - for now.**

 **See you guys in 7 days with the list of accepted characters, as well as another example of a Realistic!PokemonUniverse. Bye!**


	3. Prologue: Three

**Before you all undoubtedly skip this chapter and check to see if you were accepted or not, can I just say how thankful I am for the amount of reviews/favorites/follows/submissions I have received in just 2 chapters? Seriously, you guys don't even know how happy it makes me. It took me a long time of contemplation on whether I should actually start a story like this again, but I'm glad that I did, because I've managed to gain some really amazing characters that I can't wait to write, as well as my enthusiasm and motivation to write again. Thanks a lot, everyone. :)**

 **And for those special two who submitted at literally the last second and gave me aneurisms (you know who you are), YOU GUYS ARE THE REASON I DO DRUGS**

 **just kidding I don't do drugs**

 **don't do drugs**

 **...I love you guys.**

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Victoria was, in the least, extraordinary.

It took a lot of skill to actually become someone in the Pokémon Industry. With so many wannabe-Pokémon Masters in the Kanto Region — not even counting the other parts of the world — the odds of being recognized for your talents were nearly miniscule. It took a special kind of _something_ to become someone of legend.

Victoria had that something.

Hailing from Pallet Town, she was blessed from the very start. Being chosen by Professor Oak to own a Pokédex, as well as gain herself a nice little Charmander, was only the beginning; she flew past the Gym Leaders, flew past any random challengers, flew past anything and _everything_ that threatened to stand in her way. And Victoria did it all with just her starter Pokémon.

She didn't need any other members to her team. Her confidence was just far too high. Her determination was just far too great. Victoria was going to be the Champion of the Kanto Region, no matter what, and she'd do it all with the help of a single Pokémon.

It was unheard of. _Crazy_ , some might say. _Downright idiotic._

All Victoria had to do was flash her eight Kanto gym badges. Nobody could argue against a girl with eight badges.

Smiling to herself, the seventeen-year-old continued walking through Victory Road. The cave was terribly dark, water dripped onto the ground every few seconds, and she could even hear the faint cry of a wild Golbat in the distance. None of that deterred her, however; Victoria continued to walk through the darkness with her head held high and a flashlight gripped in her left hand.

There was nothing to be afraid of, after all. Sure, the cave was getting darker and darker with every step that she took, and there were times when she swore that someone — or _something_ — was watching her . . . but so what?

Her parents had named her Victoria for a reason. She was born to be victorious in anything and everything she put her mind to. There was no way in _hell_ that she was going to lose her nerves in Victory Road, a place practically named after her. Victoria was going to keep going, and absolutely nothing was going to stop her.

And if something tried? Well, a quick little Flamethrower from her Charizard was all it took.

"So just keep steady," Victoria told herself, biting her lip at how cold it was starting to get. It was beginning to become impossibly hard to see, even with the flashlight, but she kept her hand pressed on the wall next to her. If it really came down to it — which it _wouldn't_ — then she could easily just turn around and try again the next day.

Getting lost wasn't even an option.

If there was anything that scared Victoria, it was the thought of being forced to walk through the suffocating darkness forever, no sign of anyone or anything in sight. It'd drive her crazy to be so detached from civilization, so detached from the _light_ , and not know how to get herself out of the situation. There was her phone, yeah, but how long would it take for someone to find her? And the idea of having cellular service in a cave was doubtful.

 _Stop it. Stop thinking so much, 'Tori. You're going to get out of here, no matter what. Nothing has stopped you before, and nothing will stop you now._

It was always so easy for Victoria to ease herself into a righteous state-of-mind. It was arrogance at its finest degree.

Had she been a little less confident in herself, then maybe she would've had more Pokémon to watch her back. No matter how strong her Charizard was, going through the entire Kanto Region with just one Pokémon was eerily close to suicide. The fact that she made it so far was simply another reason as to why she was such an extraordinary trainer. The fact that she made it so far was simply another fuel to add to her own cockiness.

Had she been a little less confident in herself, then maybe she would've had a few friends to walk with her. Victoria didn't understand the idea of companionship, or camaraderie, or anything of the sort. The two other Pokédex Holders of her year had offered to travel alongside her, but she refused on the basis that she didn't need anyone to slow her down. And on some level, she was correct; while she was stumbling through Victory Road, those two boys were somewhere in Saffron City, struggling to beat Sabrina for their sixth badge. She was leagues above them.

No matter how she looked at it, every decision up to now was correct.

So why, then, did she suddenly feel so lonely?

A loud noise snapped her out of those confusing thoughts. It wasn't exactly _loud_ , per se, but everything seemed to echo in Victory Road, especially considering that the only other sound was coming from her shoes slapping against the ground. Victoria froze, her muscles tensing, her brown eyes widened in a mixture of fear and—

No, not fear. Never fear. Victoria was never afraid. Just . . . cautious. But never, ever scared of anything.

She was the best at lying to herself.

 _What was that?_ The Champion-bound female held her breath, her hand pressed against the wall like it was the only thing keeping her alive. She tried to squint her eyes to possibly see through the darkness, but that wasn't working anytime soon. Maybe if she had a Persian, or— _No_ , she didn't need anything other than her prized Charizard. Who really needed to see in the dark? Not her. Eight gym badges and she never had a problem with caves before.

Still, Victoria definitely needed to identify the cause of that sound. It sounded like . . . rocks crumbling, or scratching against each other. Was there someone else in the cave with her? If so, why weren't they saying anything? Why wasn't _she_?

"Hello?" Victoria called out, pointing her flashlight in every other direction to find the other trainer.

She took a tentative step forward.

And just like that, the road to victory took a frighteningly sharp turn.

Her flashlight finally caught the image of a Golem, it's piercing red eyes aimed directly towards her. That wasn't what scared Victoria, however; the sound of more Golem unraveling from their rocky cocoon, in every direction around her, is what sent a small shiver of fear down her spine. For the first time in her life, Victoria was paralyzed, throat clogged in anxiety.

But then that second passed, and her wits finally caught up to her. Golem didn't scare her. Nothing did. Not even a hoard of them. She was going to get out of this situation, as she always did, and absolutely nothing was going to stop her.

"Fiero, come on out!" Victoria yelled, quickly releasing Charizard from it's Pokéball.

The fire-type Pokémon barely flinched at the darkness; Victoria shone her light at all of the Golem around her, counting twelve, and nodded at her Pokémon. The Charizard nodded back, almost reassuring, and a sharp grin slid into it's red face.

"Dragon Claw!"

Charizard slashed at the Golem closest to it, a mighty roar erupting from the back of it's throat. The rock Pokémon fell on it's back, a painful screech flowing out of it's mouth, it's face marred with claw marks. A second passed. And then, chaos erupted in the darkness, as the Golem all charged at the large dragon. Victoria, however, was not going to let that happen.

"Try to drive them away with a Flamethrower!" she exclaimed, a determined glint in her eyes and a small smirk on her face. This was what Victoria lived for; the rush of battle, the tingling excitement of danger, the growing realization that there was no way in hell she'd actually lose.

When she was in the middle of a Pokémon battle, she truly felt alive. Extraordinarily alive.

Ironic, considering what happened next.

Charizard was too busy blowing fire and slashing at the wild Pokémon to notice. Victoria was too focused on the battle to notice. It was too dark, anyway; the only light source was coming from her small flashlight and Charizard's fiery breaths. There was no way for Victoria to predict what had happened next. There was no way for Victoria to avoid anything tragic from happening.

There was no way to prevent her death.

From a wild Golem's perspective, the brown-haired female was an intruder to their territory. At first, they weren't even about to attack her; they just wanted to scare her away. But then she sent out that humongous Charizard, and it had hit one of them, and _nobody_ got away with harming one of their own. The battle ensued quickly after. Some Golem would use Rollout, and some would use Rock Throw — but none of them could land a hit on the Charizard, not with it spamming Flamethrower and batting them away with that fearsome Dragon Claw.

That's when one Golem formed a plan. Charizard was only the puppet. If they were going to protect their territory with a minimal number of casualties, then they needed to cut off the head, rather than pointlessly stab at the body. They needed to harm the human girl.

Fortunately for that Golem, Victoria didn't see it coming. She never saw anything coming. Her arrogance, her haughty nature . . . It all formed a metaphorical cocoon around the girl's brain, allowing her to keep out any negative thoughts, allowing her to treat everyone else like the dirt under her feet.

Nothing could possibly harm Victoria.

That mindset crumbled apart as soon as Golem's hard body crashed into her.

"Ah—!" Victoria screamed, but it was abruptly cut off by the sound of her arm snapping as her body slammed into the ground. A burst of fiery hot pain traveled through her veins, white spots in her vision — and then the Golem jumped atop her, 600 lbs of pure rock, and Victoria's entire body spasmed in agony.

 _F-Fiero . . . ! Somebody, h-help me . . !_

But nobody would help Victoria, not even her beloved Charizard. The girl had spent her entire life pushing people away, verbally and sometimes even physically assaulting them. She didn't have any friends. She didn't have anyone who really, truly, cared about her.

Victoria had nothing. And as the pain in her smashed body slowly faded away, and the darkness around her morphed into something a lot more darker, a solitary tear slid from her right eye. She was supposed to be the Champion. She was . . . She was supposed to _be_ somebody. Somebody strong, somebody people looked up to, somebody that people actually . . . liked.

Inwardly, that's all Victoria really wanted. To be acknowledged. To be loved.

And yet, the only creature that ever felt a smidgen of love towards her was currently being overpowered by the hoard of Golem, ignorant to its trainer's untimely fate. If Victoria could manage it, she'd apologize. But she couldn't.

With one last _crack_ , the female adventurer felt her rib puncture something very substantial to human-life . . . and then she was gone.

Victoria was extraordinary — but now, she was just another unfortunate Pokémon Trainer.

This was simply the price that adolescents risked when venturing out into the wild, filled with hopes and dreams of fame and fortune. Some succeeded in their goal, sure, but most failed silently and with as much dignity as they could muster.

And then there were some, like Victoria, who succumbed to the unpredictable and often brutal nature of the Pokémon Universe. Those unlucky trainers wouldn't be remembered. Nameless statistics on a computer screen were all that they'd ever amount to.

Victoria Aldaine was extraordinary — and just like that, in the blink of an eye, she was nothing.

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 **Accepted Characters**

Luke Church, 16 (DaOneInDaCorner)

Alaya Cressant, 16 (mystic47)

Kristien Frazier, 18 (PoisonBanana)

Tobi Grey, 16 (Devon2016)

Liam Harris, 16 (Me)

Ophelia Lafleur, 17 (TitanMaddix)

Selene Mas, 16 (Uzumaki Kana)

Warren Monger, 24 (W. R. Winters)

Aya Satsuki, 16 (Blackreach)

Mavis Sullivan, 16 (BamItsTyler)

Zion Volt, 16 (ssjzohan)

Shihong Zhang, 16 (fat necrosis)

 **If you were accepted, I'll be messaging you all shortly. Congratulations!**

 **If you weren't, I just want to apologize. If I could, I'd have accepted everyone. But I specifically wanted 12 characters, and I got more than that, so unfortunately a bit of you had to be rejected. :(** **I'm really sorry. I understand if you don't want to read anymore. But if you do continue reading, then jump aboard the train, because it's going to be a bumpy ride! Woohoo!**

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 **Anyway . . . this is the last of the prologues, everyone! I'm not entirely sure how my format for introducing the characters will be, but just know that they will begin being introduced on the very next chapter. I can't wait to start writing them! If you ALSO can't wait - or even if you can wait - then drop me a review! I read them all, of course, and they each make me smile a lot. So don't be shy!**

 **By the way, I'm not entirely used to writing in 3rd person, so I really don't know how this chapter looks and feels compared to the last one. This was kinda weird to write, but hopefully you all still liked it.**

* * *

 **Oh, and if you check my Profile Page, then you can see that I have my Tumblr/Twitter/Wattpad accounts posted. With Tumblr and Twitter, you can see all of the random stuff that I talk about and do when I'm not writing, and I also try to post random stuff about this story. You can even ask me questions on there that I'll be more than happy to answer! (because FF Private Messaging is _so_ 2012 yo) You guys should definitely check them out!**

 **And as for my Wattpad, I kinda love that site, so I just have that posted for you guys who also use Wattpad and want to see what I do on there as well. I also have this story posted on there, too, so go check it out and vote on it! :)**

* * *

 **LASTLY (wow this author's note is long af) I MADE A BLOG FOR THIS STORY! It shows each characters name, quote, age, hometown, Pokémon, strengths/weaknesses, and a picture that I feel perfectly portrayed how the character looks in my head. I may have changed a few stuff around, though . . . like adjusting the quote a little, and changing up the strengths/weaknesses a tiny bit. I didn't make this clear (sorry), but I wanted personality-based strengths/weaknesses rather than things like "good battler" or whatever. This is so you all can get a little hint on how the characters are before I actually write them. I hope this doesn't bother you guys, but I doubt it will.**

 **Oh, and for the pictures, a few of your characters had really weird appearances. And by weird, I mean it would've actually been impossible to find a good Faceclaim for that character. So some of you guys' character appearances might be a bit changed. Not ENTIRELY, but I just wanted to tell you guys this right now so that I don't get 10000 hate messages. If your character had a weird hair color, I changed it in a way that the hair color is still unnatural, but it's just not that particular color. And if your character has heterochromia, then I made sure to find faceclaims with two different eye colors, or to find a faceclaim with one eye covered a bit by hair. So overall, the pictures shouldn't upset you all too much. I just need to find some good quality ones, and so a few appearances had to be altered.**

 **I LIKE THE PICTURES OKAY SO PLEASE DONT ASK ME TO CHANGE THEM.**

 **Anyway, the blog link is right here . . .**

 **. . . or you can just look on my profile, where I should post it.**

* * *

 **I think that's enough talking for me! Don't forget to review and stuff! (Telling me your favorite characters from the blog would be awesome too xD)**

 **Bai**


	4. The Beginning of a Lifetime

**Hi. Jalen Kun here, back at it again with another update.**

 **I just wanna thank Tyler and Kitty for Mavis and Shihong, respectively, and I also want to thank them for putting this idea in my head. Without them to push me, I probably wouldn't have even started this. :) So thanks, guys!**

 **(but you guys aren't exempt from reviewing)**

* * *

Pallet Town was a small place filled with big dreams.

Everyone in the Kanto Region knew of the little town, and even people from other regions were aware of the place that homed legendary Pokémon trainers such as Red — current Champion of the Kanto Region — and Blue Oak, who was also the Champion for a good twenty-four hours. And even if people didn't know about those two, Professor Oak was a world-renowned researcher that absolutely _nobody_ could be ignorant of, and he also resided in the quaint Pallet Town.

It was a running gag around the Kanto Region that people coming from Pallet Town were bound to be successful. History tended to repeat itself, after all. Any Pokémon trainers that announced themselves as Pallet Town-borne were immediately put on everyone's radar.

But even still, there were a select few trainers that rose above the rest. Living in Pallet Town was only a prerequisite for them. They were the best of the best; the ones with the most potential to rise in the Pokémon industry, the ones that nobody could find fault in, the ones that were given an opportunity unlike any other.

Mavis Sullivan was one of those trainers.

Nothing less was expected of her, after all. The Sullivan family were a very prestigious group of people, and the only thing that they focused on were Pokémon. Battling, coordinating, breeding — no matter what it was, the Sullivan family did it, and they were masters at it. Mavis' parents were both ace trainers, with eight Kanto gym badges to their name, and her grandma was even the Champion of the Kanto Region once upon a time, as well as the Viridian City Gym Leader. With a family history of nothing but excellence, and four siblings already out adventuring in their miscellaneous regions, it was no surprise when the Sullivan household received a call from Professor Oak's office.

Mavis was to be one of the three Pokédex Holders.

For Mavis, it was expected, but that didn't stop the rolls of excitement from sliding down her spine. _This is it!_ she thought, grinning to herself as she walked down the sidewalks of Pallet Town. _This is the beginning of my new life!_

Becoming a Pokémon trainer was the only thing that Mavis wanted to do in her life, was the only thing she felt that she _could_ do. How could she be anything else when her entire family revolved around being aces? She couldn't; she _wouldn't_. And not only would she be a Pokémon trainer, but she'd be the best damn trainer in existence.

Mavis didn't want to stick to one type of Pokémon, because that was dumb. She wanted to be a master of all types; she wanted to be a jack-of-all-trades: she wanted to be the name on everyone's lips. Mavis wanted to prove herself, to the _world_ — and she could do it, too. She was capable. She was more than capable, actually.

As Mavis opened the doors to Professor Oak's laboratory and stepped inside the cool, air-conditioned lobby, her mind latched onto that single thought. _I am capable. I am more than capable. I am the most capable._

The sixteen-year-old female was bordering on arrogance, but she didn't care. She had the skills to back it up. She was accepted to become one of Professor Oak's valued Pokédex Holders, after all.

One of the aides, a fairly young lady with beautiful blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes, smiled at her as soon as she entered the building. "Welcome!" she chirped happily, rushing over to Mavis. "You must be Ms. Sullivan, correct?"

"The one and only," Mavis answered, smirking her signature smirk.

The female aide didn't seem to mind her cocky personality. Instead, her grin seemed to grow a thousand times bigger.

"Good, good! It is _so_ good that you're here!" the aide said, a bundle of nerves and energy. She seemed a lot more excited than Mavis was, weirdly enough. "Professor Oak will be seeing you very, very shortly. Until then, please sit down at our waiting area. There's already one of you here, and I'm sure he's just as excited to meet you as you are to meet him!"

Mavis couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes, but she did manage to keep her tongue from saying something extremely rude. She wasn't excited to meet the other Pokédex Holder. She didn't care enough about him, if she was to be frank. The only thing she cared about was gaining her beloved Starter Pokémon, her Pokédex, and her supplies.

The aide — _Lydia_ , she soon figured out from the lady's name-tag — directed her to the waiting area, a very spacious and very comfortable-looking place. The chairs were plush, the tables made of the finest mahogany, and there was even a coffee-machine placed in the corner. A flat-screen television was placed on the wall — and currently sitting there, intently watching it, was a chocolate-skinned boy with short hair and deep brown eyes.

The second that they walked in, the boy's attention shifted from the TV to the pair of females at the door. Mavis and him locked eyes.

"Mavis, this is Liam," Lydia began, pointing to the boy as if they were three-years-old. "And Liam, this is Mavis. Be nice to each other, okay?"

Liam was the first to break eye-contact, his brows slightly furrowed. "Why is that old man not here yet? Is he taking a dump or something?"

Mavis rolled her eyes. _What an idiot._ She was rude, too, but she didn't go around saying stupid crap like that. Liam was already a nobody to her.

Lydia chuckled a bit, but Mavis could tell that she clearly wanted to chastise the boy. Instead, she opted for the more sensitive route. "Be a bit patient, okay? He'll be here when all of you are together."

" _Ugh_." Liam groaned, turning back towards the TV. He puffed his cheeks out, very childishly, and rolled his eyes. "Fine. That other guy needs to hurry up."

Lydia left the room soon after, giving Mavis an apologetic smile. The sixteen-year-old simply shrugged in response, taking a seat by the door. She didn't care about Liam enough to be annoyed by his childish impatience. Sure, he was selected to be a Pokédex Holder, so he couldn't have been _too_ incompetent . . . but everyone was below Mavis in skill, according to her. She'd simply stick to herself, gain everything she needed to gain from Professor Oak, and begin her road to becoming a master.

It was only a matter of time now.

Liam Harris continued watching the television screen, bored out of his mind. There was nothing interesting on TV right now; it was twelve-o'clock in the morning, and all of the good cartoons came on later in the afternoon.

Not that he still watched cartoons. Absolutely not. The other guys would laugh at him if he did. He just . . . Well, since Professor Oak was taking a horribly long time, he needed to preoccupy himself somehow. He would talk to the girl that just walked in, but she was sitting far away from him and tapping away on her smartphone. He would've taken out his own smartphone, but the screen was cracked and it was terribly outdated. So he had to do nothing but sit down and wait.

Liam hated waiting — for _anything_. That's why he ran over to the laboratory as soon as he got the call. He _couldn't_ wait to become a Pokémon trainer; he _couldn't_ wait to choose his starter Pokemon; he _couldn't_ wait to receive his very own Pokédex. For the first time in what seemed like forever, the world actually seemed to be on his side — and he could not wait to start.

Ever since Liam was a little kid, becoming famous was the only thing that he ever wanted. He hated the idea of living a mundane life, and he hated the fact that he was only one insignificant person in a world of billions. He wanted to be special, to be acknowledged, to be . . . a _somebody_.

But how could someone become famous living in simple Pallet Town? Making videos on Poké-Tube wasn't getting him the publicity that he wanted, and he didn't have any certain talents that garnered people's attention. His family wasn't world-renowned anything's, and he didn't have anyone that could help him achieve his goal of living life as a celebrity.

That's when it hit him. _Everyone_ loved Pokémon trainers. Kanto News followed all of the major Pokémon battling events, and they tended to interview a lot of trainers when something went amiss. Not only that, but there were tons of tournaments that thousands of people attended, and millions of people watched from home. If there was any profession that had the most popularity, then it was becoming a Pokémon trainer.

There were risks, however. Traveling around the world, _alone_ , was dangerous. And not only that, but it was hard to be recognized for your talents when there were so many others who had the exact same goal. Many wannabe-trainers ended up starving because of the lack of revenue, too, and many just couldn't handle the brutal lifestyle.

But Liam could. He knew, deep down inside, that he could handle anything and everything the Pokémon Universe threw at him. His goal was becoming the Champion of the Kanto Region, because there was no higher honor than that. _Everyone_ would know him. _Everyone_ would look up to him.

Liam craved that attention, craved that spotlight more than he craved anything else.

And now, he actually had the chance to achieve that dream.

Smiling to himself, Liam looked up and stared at the other Pokédex Holder, _Mavis_. She was pretty. _Really_ pretty, actually, with her dark lipstick and black sunglasses. Her black hair was stylishly unkempt, and her body wasn't bad in the slightest. All in all, Liam would've rated her a solid _8_.

If he could see her entire face behind those shades, then maybe that rating could raise higher . . .

"Hey," Liam called out, his brows widened in genuine confusion. Mavis looked up from her phone, her lips stuck in a permanent straight line. "Why are you wearing those sunglasses when we're in a building?"

Mavis didn't skip a beat. "Because I want to."

"Are you blind?"

". . . _What_?"

"That is _so_ cool!" Liam jumped up from his seat, lips quirked into a giant grin. "I mean, being blind isn't cool, but being a blind Pokémon trainer must take a lot of skill! How did you take the written exam to be chosen for this? Did someone do it for you? And how do you know what Pokémon you'll be fighting against if you can't see them? Wait . . . How are you even using your phone?!"

Mavis stared at the boy in complete deadpan. _Is this guy . . . Is this guy serious? Does he really believe that I'm blind just because I'm wearing shades?_

Almost sardonically, the sixteen-year-old female opened her mouth to reply. "I'm telepathic, so I can do a lot of things that other people can't."

" _Really_?!"

She almost felt sorry for the guy. Almost. To be that stupid was a sin — and he was considered good enough to become a Pokédex Holder? What kind of screwed up game was Professor Oak playing?

"No, dumbass. I'm not blind, and I'm not telepathic. The fact that you actually believed me . . ." Mavis shook her head, looking back down to the phone in her hands. "It really goes to show the level of intelligence it takes to pass Professor Oak's exam."

Liam blinked, his mouth opened in dumbfounded astonishment. That was . . . rude. Really rude, actually — and totally misguided at that. Liam might not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, but his memorization skills were top-notch. He passed that exam fair and square, hence the reason he was even there.

Forcing a chuckle, Liam awkwardly looked away, hands unconsciously digging inside of his pockets. "I was just kidding, sheesh."

He wasn't.

But Liam was a pro at getting people to believe things that weren't true. He constantly exaggerated his masculinity, constantly lied about his intense liking of cartoons and cooking, constantly acted however people wanted him to act. He wanted to be cool, to be accepted into society with open arms. And being himself . . . probably wasn't the right way to do that.

Liam put on so many façades that he barely knew who his real self was sometimes.

He was simply scared of rejection, and deathly afraid of being alone. That's why he acted like a testosterone-filled idiot around his friends; that's why he typically flirted with all of the girls, even if he didn't like them; that's why he was becoming a Pokémon trainer in the first place, because he refused to be some loser that nobody liked nor cared about.

It was insecurity at it's finest degree.

Before Mavis could respond to Liam's lie, Lydia's cheerful humming caught their attention. They both looked towards the door . . .

. . . And standing right beside Lydia, noticeably shorter than everyone in the room, was Shihong Zhang. The sixteen-year-old stared at them as they stared at her, her brown eyes unblinking and emotionless. In her hands was a small black notebook, and a red pen stuck out of her jeans.

Even Mavis had to acknowledge the fact that the girl was a beauty; with her Johto-like facial features and a hint of makeup on her lips, Shihong could've easily been the most beautiful girl in Pallet Town. And her beauty wasn't sexual either, like Liam thought of Mavis; the sixteen-year-old boy was almost afraid to look at her, in case his gaze shattered the mirage.

Lydia was the first to speak, as expected. "Liam, Mavis . . . this is Shihong. Shihong, this is Liam and Mavis. You three get to know each other a little, while I go fetch the professor!"

And with that, Lydia was gone, leaving Shihong alone with two complete strangers. It wasn't like she was acquainted with Lydia either, but there was something about people her age that made Shihong nervous. Actually, scratch that; Shihong was nervous around everyone. She wasn't a shy girl, not really, but she was extraordinarily quiet. And people tended to abuse the quiet ones.

Not that she wasn't already used to being abused. She was. That still didn't make it any less grating.

"So, Shihong," Mavis began, clicking off her phone and standing up. Her eyes had a domineering, almost competitive gleam to them — though nobody could see. "On a scale from _1_ to _10_ , how good are you?"

"Hey, you didn't ask me that!" Liam exclaimed, his face scrunched up in indignation and confusion.

"That's because I already know what you are."

"Oh yeah, then what am I?"

"A negative _3_."

Liam could feel his brain cracking in half as he glared at the female. She was turning out to be an extraordinary bitch.

"I'm definitely a _10_ ," he said, crossing his arms. Suddenly, a thought came to his head, and he smirked a little. "In more ways than one, if you know what I mean . . ."

Mavis knew what he meant, but chose to ignore it. Instead, she continued staring at Shihong, waiting for an answer. The shorter girl didn't look like she could pose a serious challenge, but Mavis knew that looks could be deceiving. She was the best, definitely . . . but she just needed to make sure.

Shihong fidgeted a little under her cold gaze; even with those big sunglasses, the girl somehow still managed to look threatening. And while Shihong wasn't necessarily scared of Mavis, she still didn't want to say anything to piss her off. Angry people were just too much to deal with. So she bit her lip and racked her brain for a good response, one that wouldn't create any issues in the future.

Just like always. Shihong was constantly a people-pleaser.

It wasn't her fault; Shihong grew up in a household that verbally tore her down, emotionally abused her, and made her feel like . . . like she was less than human. It only got worse when her older brother, Jin Zhang, was tragically murdered by a group of Geodude. He was their parents' everything — and it was taken away from them so quickly, so unexpectedly. Shihong was irrelevant compared to him. With Jin's death, the spotlight actually turned towards her, but it wasn't for the better. Her parents disciplined her to unreasonable lengths, and they mentally bullied her into thinking that she was nothing more than a shit-stirrer.

So Shihong grew closed-off from her family, and she definitely shut herself away from her indifferent neighbors. They knew what was going on in her household; they didn't care.

"I . . . I'm . . ." She exhaled, patting down on her jeans. "I think I'm okay? Maybe not better than you, but . . . you know."

"Yeah, I think that I do."

Mavis smiled, satisfied. She was obviously better than Liam, and Shihong seemed too reserved to even _look_ at a Pokémon. She was going to be the best Pokédex Holder. No, she _was_ the best Pokédex Holder. Even though it was expected, she couldn't stop the proud grin from growing on her pale face.

Liam rolled his eyes, already fed-up with Mavis' bloated ego. She was going to be a problem, definitely. He was gunning for the Champion's spot, so people like her were going to have to be beaten by him, sooner-or-later. Liam was a friendly guy, and he could definitely deal with her cockiness . . . but his goal trumped everything in the grand scheme of things.

And Shihong just sighed, wondering how someone like her managed to get here. Unlike Liam and Mavis, she didn't have a great goal in mind. She didn't want to be a Pokémon master, nor did she want to become Champion of the Kanto Region. She just wanted an escape. An escape from her destabilizing home, an escape from the ghosts of her past.

This was just the most convenient route.

"Guys," Lydia called, walking back into the room. She smiled, her bright eyes sparkling. "Professor Oak would like for me to bring you all to his private lab! Follow me!"

Liam exhaled in relief. _Finally_. The three sixteen-year-olds followed Lydia out of the waiting area and through the lobby, down a bunch of winding hallways, and eventually to a steel door at the very back of the building. Liam talked the entire time, _oohing_ and _ahhing_ at the simplest of technologies. Mavis rolled her eyes and calmly told him to shut up, multiple times; he didn't. Shihong stayed silent, flipping through her notebook as she walked, reading through the pre-approved subjects that she figured Professor Oak would like to hear.

Lydia typed in a seemingly complex passcode and unlocked the door. The room was . . . unimpressive, to say the least. They all expected something from a movie scene, like Pokémon trapped in glass chambers, or at least fizzling test-tubes. There was none of that. There was a large machine in the corner of the room, unidentifiable to any of the sixteen-year-olds, and there was plenty of charts and notes scattered around the lab — but that's where the complexity ended and the simplicity began.

Professor Oak sat in a chair in a corner of the room, his back turned towards the four visitors. Placed on a table in the middle of the room were three shiny Pokéballs, a picture of the corresponding Pokémon underneath. Liam and Mavis couldn't tear their eyes away.

"Welcome," Professor Oak suddenly said, turning around to look at the three. He recognized them immediately; the boy who wouldn't stop talking about how he was going to one day be famous, the girl who practically radiated confidence, and the girl who could barely pass as a sixteen-year-old.

Mavis and Shihong responded immediately. "Thank you for having us, professor."

Liam just grinned, too excited to speak.

Professor Oak stood up from his seat, giving the three a grandfatherly smile. "Liam Harris, Mavis Sullivan, Shihong Zhang . . . As you three must already know, I — or rather, my assistant Lydia — have chosen you three to partake in a journey across the Kanto Region. But not only that; you will each be given a starter Pokémon of your choosing, as well as an upgraded, highly-functioning Pokédex."

Truthfully, anyone in the Kanto Region could buy a Pokédex, and they all knew that. The thing was, they were _extremely_ expensive, and regular Pokémon trainers could barely afford to feed themselves, much less buy a Pokédex. And not only that, but the ones that Professor Oak was giving them were an upgraded version of the ones in stores. They were beta-testers, in a way. An extremely sought-out title.

"And I see that Ms. Sullivan already has her own bag of supplies," Professor Oak continued, causing Mavis to smile. "But I am also giving you all your own backpacks, filled to the brim with the most needed necessities. As you can tell, you three will be extremely prepared for practically anything."

"Thanks so much, professor!" Liam exclaimed, refraining himself from hugging the elderly man. No matter how much he wanted to, hugs just weren't cool. That's what his friends said, at least.

The old man laughed. "No, thank _you_. Without you three, I wouldn't have the best possible people here today to try out my new Pokédex and gain information for me. And anyone who aspires to become a Pokémon trainer, regardless of their own personal reasons, is a friend of mine."

. . . _So amazing._ Mavis didn't like looking up to many people, but she definitely looked up to Professor Oak. He was a master in his own league. She didn't question that he could possibly be the strongest trainer in the entire Kanto Region, even more powerful than the legendary Red.

"But anyway," the man said, walking over to the Pokéball table. Liam could barely keep himself from jumping atop and choosing his Pokémon. "Before we do all of that boring stuff, why don't you three choose your start—"

"I choose Charmander!" Liam screamed, running up and grabbing the shiny Pokéball before the old man could even finish speaking. He knew that he was being rude, sorta, but he couldn't bring himself to care much. This was his _starter_. If Mavis or Shihong had chosen this one before him, he'd be pissed.

Professor Oak simply laughed at his enthusiasm. He remembered when he was like Liam — energetic, tough, self-proclaimed king of the world. It was always nostalgic to see teenagers begin their quest for whatever they wanted to do in their lives.

Mavis shot a look at Shihong, daring her to choose the one she wanted. The quiet girl simply looked to the floor. In reality, Shihong didn't care what starter she got. She loved Pokémon of any kind; as long as it was nice to her, and could protect her from the wilderness of the world, then she was perfectly fine with anything.

"I'll be choosing Squirtle," Mavis said, walking over and grabbing the small Pokéball. Even though she radiated calmness, her muscles were tense, and she could practically hear her heart pounding. This was it.

This way the beginning of a lifetime.

Lydia gave Shihong a concerned look; she didn't want Liam or Mavis to bully the girl into submission. "So you want Bulbasaur?" she asked.

Shihong nodded, walking over and picking up the Pokéball. Bulbasaur. That was good, right? She thought so. And in the end, even though she was always walked over and disregarded, that was all that mattered. She liked Bulbasaur.

"Good! I'm glad that everyone is satisfied with their choices." Professor Oak walked over to his desk, picking up three rectangular objects. One in red, one in blue, and one in green. "These are Pokédexes. As you all must surely know, these rectangular devices are Pokémon encyclopedias. They can tell you a lot of different things about each and every discovered Pokémon in the world. This new update that I'm working on allows for the Pokedexes to be able to connect to the Internet, as well as allow video chats between them. This is so that you three will never truly be alone, even if you choose to go your separate ways."

There was a sad twinkle in his dark eyes as he said this, his smile looking a tad bit forced. His mind shifted to the three from last year — Tyson, Noah . . . and Victoria.

"Listen to me, you all," Professor Oak said, catching their attention. His eyes shined in intensity, his voice deadly serious. Liam frowned. "I know that I can't force you three to do anything, and I don't want to. I want you each to explore this world and follow your dreams without anything stifling you. But . . . I would also like for you three to travel with each other, at least until you all have your first gym badge. Alright? I know that you're each different individuals, but please understand that this world is a lot more gruesome and dangerous than the media lets you believe. So please just stick with each other for a while, alright?"

Mavis held back the grimace from showing on her face. She'd have to travel with these two until she got her first gym badge? What? She already disliked Liam, and Shihong was proving to be absolutely nothing. They were going to do absolutely nothing but hold her back.

Liam, however, completely understood the old man. He didn't really like it, but he understood it. And secretly, deep down inside of him, Liam was thankful; he put up such a confident front, but he was actually scared of traveling the Kanto Region by himself. He needed someone to be with him, to edge him closer to his goal. And if those people had to be Mavis and Shihong, then that was fine with him.

Shihong didn't care. People were always forced to work with her at school. She was used to this. And after they all got their first gym badge, then they could split, and she'd be absolutely okay with it. She was always alone, figuratively. Physically being alone couldn't be that much harder.

The short girl turned towards her two temporary companions, something hot and . . . cold swimming around in her chest. "I hope to see you both excel," Shihong said, a slight frown on her face. "You two don't cause me any trouble, and I won't cause you any trouble."

Everyone stared at the sixteen-year-old, silently shocked that she finally opened her mouth . . . and just to say something like that?

Liam chuckled, trying to dissipate the awkwardness. "Well, I'm trying to become the Champion, so as long as that's not your goal, then we're cool."

He placed his hand out. Shihong stared at it for a bit, a little stunned, before placing her own cool hand atop of hers. They both turned towards Mavis, who stared at them incredulously.

"Is there a problem?" she asked.

Liam deadpanned. "Put your hand in the middle."

"And why should I do that?"

" _Because_!"

Mavis sighed, reluctantly placing her hand atop Shihong's. She didn't like this; she refused to like this; she was so much better than this.

Denial was so strong in her.

Liam grinned. "Okay, now _1_ . . . _2_ . . . _3_ . . ." He rose his hand up, forcing the other two females to do the same. "Pokédex Holders, unite!"

He laughed. Mavis groaned. Shihong — for the first time in a _very_ long time — gave them a genuine smile. Maybe, just maybe, she'd like being in their group. Maybe, just maybe, they'd all like being together.

Professor Oak and Lydia watched the trio from a short distance, both of them with warm smiles on their faces. Maybe this time, none of them would tragically lose their lives. Maybe this time, their little annual program could finally give birth to a champion — or _champions_.

They all desperately hoped so.

* * *

 **So, I'm going to try my absolute DAMN-DEST (or however you spell it . . .) to update at least once per week. And to make that easier for me, and less of a load on my back, every chapter should be under 5,000 words. My other stories had, like, 8k chapters and that's probably why I was feeling so exhausted writing them. Well, not anymore! This was fun, and I hope that you all enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing this!**

 **And also, I've decided on this format to introduce the characters. 3 characters per chapter, and then the story will officially set sail and it'll be random characters shown each chapter. For the next one, the characters introduced will be . . . Tobi, Zion, and Selene. :)**

 **WELL, that's enough from me. I'm literally being screamed at to update, so I'll just hope that I've said everything important. DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A REVIEW. They motivate me, and lord knows that I need a hell of a lot of motivating. I'm lazy as fuck LMFAO**

 **Bai!**


	5. Perfect World for a Somebody

**Before you begin reading, I'd like to thank Devon2016, ssjzohan, and Uzumaki Kana for Tobi, Zion, and Selene. They're the real mastermind behind these amazing characters; I'm just the puppet trying to write them xD**

 **(Oh, and if my great friend Tyler messages any of you for not liking Mavis, please tell me so that I can scold him. He does that a lot xD)**

* * *

Pallet Town was considered to be a very beautiful place. Not only was it small and the people were friendly, but the tough family bonds made the town a lot more desirable than most. People were so rude in Lavender Town, and they were too old-fashioned in Fuchsia City; Pallet Town was seemingly perfect, with caring and open-minded people everywhere.

But as Tobi Grey knew very well, absolutely nothing was perfect.

"Get out of my house, right now!"

Evelyn shoved her son through the wooden front door, knocking him straight to the pavement below. Tobi slid painfully across the ground, earning a soft yelp as the stone scratched at his palms. If Evelyn was a different person, she'd immediately bend down to see if her child was alright. If Tobi was a different person, he wouldn't have put up with being violently kicked out of his own home.

But they weren't different people. Evelyn simply glowered at Tobi, while the sixteen-year-old stared at the woman's feet, ashamed of himself for no reason at all.

" _Why_ , Tobi?" his mother questioned, her anger shielding the hurt that welled up in her eyes. "I've always done nothing but provide the best for you, and you've done nothing but stomp on my benevolence, over and over and over again. Don't you realize how hard it is to take care of four kids as a single mother? Why do you continue doing this to me, to our _family_?"

There were so many things wrong with that tangent. She always provided the best? If ostracizing and shaming her son was providing the best, then sure, she was Pallet Town's mother of the year. Maybe, just maybe, if she could have looked past her own ego and continued to support Tobi's dreams, then they wouldn't even have to be in this situation. He could have passed Professor Oak's test, if she had helped; he could have been a Pokédex Holder.

But no. Because of something as simple as his sexuality, she cut all ties with him — and he suffered because of it.

"I didn't do anything," Tobi mumbled, unable to even look her in the eyes. He wasn't the most confident person, even towards his family. And with her acting like this? He could barely even force himself to speak at all.

Evelyn clenched her fists. "Yes, you did, Tobi. You _ruined_ this family with your . . . disgusting choices. And, you know, I was almost willing to look past that. I was almost willing to let you do whatever you wanted, as long as you didn't disappoint me further. But, you did. You're nothing but a failure, in _all_ aspects of life."

 _It's not a choice. I didn't choose this. Why would anyone choose this?_ Tobi suddenly felt the urge to cry — but he wouldn't. Even though his self-confidence was being shredded apart by his own mother, he wouldn't allow himself to cry. He refused to shed a single fucking tear.

It was the least he could do. Not argue. Not defend his point of view. Not even get angry, like he should.

But Tobi wasn't the kind of guy to do that. He was the kind of guy to smile and nod, when all he wanted to ever do was scream and sob. He was the kind of guy to accept a compliment, yet never take them seriously. He was the kind of guy to sit in the background and daydream about the life he could've had . . . if the world was a perfect one.

But nothing was perfect. Absolutely nothing. Not for him, at least. His dad was dead, his family practically hated him, and he was gay. And for some reason, Tobi felt like the latter was what caused everything else. He was gay — and because of that, his life was in shambles.

Evelyn stared at her son, masking the pain she felt behind a stone cold exterior. She just didn't understand, _couldn't_ understand. Her childhood was probably the most traditional one in existence, and the one thing her parents never failed to preach about was homosexuality. _It's wrong_ , they would say. _It's against the ways of humankind._ And she would believe it, too, because what else could she believe?

So she grew older, holding in those conservative teachings until it became apart of her existence. And when she became a Top Coordinator, married her husband, and began having children, she was resolved to teaching them the exact same way. It would have been her own perfect family — even if her husband _was_ a goofball.

And then Mark died, killed in a tragic rescue mission. A piece of her perfect world was gone. As her two older sons got older and left the house to fulfill their own dreams, so did her happiness. She wanted the best for them, and she wanted them to be as successful as her; the feeling of abandonment, however, never truly went away. And then came the day that Tobi came out to the family . . .

Evelyn couldn't handle much more. Her husband was dead, her children were growing up, and one of them was claiming to be gay? It was all just too much for her — and the strings in her heart eventually snapped, turning her into a ghost of her past-self.

Fundamentally, she was wrong. But the world wasn't just black and white.

"I can't take this anymore," she whispered, trembling under the rage that began to bubble in her chest. "Leave. Leave this house right now — and _never_ come back. When you prove to me that you aren't nothing more than a useless son, and fix your . . . _choices_ , then I'll allow you back into this home."

Tobi was being kicked out. He was actually . . . He was actually being forced out of his own home. And for what? Because he was gay? Because he failed Professor Oak's exam? Whatever the reason, it wasn't right. It would never be right.

"I . . . I can't . . ." He didn't know what to say. Was there anything he could say? "I'm . . . sorry . . ."

He was apologizing. Tobi was actually apologizing. It wasn't his fault; none of it was his fault; everything that his mother was angry about was all out of his control. And yet, reduced to a boy that could barely keep himself from crying, his insecurities placed on a display and smashed to pieces, apologizing was the only thing that someone like him was capable of.

It was disgusting. The entire situation was disgusting.

"You aren't sorry." Evelyn turned around, turned away from sixteen years of her life. She placed her hand on the bronze doorknob, gripping it like it was her own personal lifeline. Glancing back at her son, she continued. "If you're really sorry, you will promise me right now that you're done with that embarrassing lifestyle. If you do, I'll let you back in."

There was a pregnant pause.

Tobi didn't want to be left alone. There was no way that he could survive in the wild, with no food and no money and a Pokémon that was more of a pet than a battler. He'd _die_ if his mother kicked him out.

But at the same time, Tobi could never denounce his sexuality. It took an unimaginable amount of strength to come out in the first place, and he'd rather die than shamefully go back on what took years and years of mustering up to do. And not only that, but it'd just fuel his family's idea that sexuality was something you could change willy-nilly.

It wasn't; the closet was a dark place that he never wanted to go back to — at least, not with his family holding down the doors.

Tobi looked to the ground. That was all the incentive that Evelyn needed to walk inside the house and slam the door.

 _Breathe in, breathe out. Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't give her the satisfaction of making you cry._

If it meant anything, Tobi would not cry. Not until much later, when he was far away from his mother and far away from Pallet Town. But not now.

The sixteen-year-old boy stood up, dusting himself off, trying to keep his face neutral. It was hard. His heart was hurting, and his throat felt like it was constricting more and more with each second that passed. His mother kicked him out. But . . . But that didn't mean it had to be the end for him. Evelyn probably thought that he'd come crying back, begging for forgiveness. But he wouldn't. Tobi was a lot of things, but he was not a person that carelessly tossed away his pride, over and over again.

His dream was to become a famed Pokémon Trainer. Maybe not the Champion, but . . . but _somebody_ powerful. And since Professor Oak must not have seen anything special about him, this was just the push that he needed. It was a rather rough, heartbreaking push . . . but a push nonetheless.

"I'm going to be okay," Tobi mumbled to himself, inhaling and exhaling to keep his emotions from tearing himself apart. "I'm going to be okay. I'm going to be okay."

As he walked away from his former home, reassuringly rubbing his right hand against the lone Pokéball in his pocket — Teddiursa — Tobi fought back against the darkening feeling that he would not be okay.

* * *

Nobody could have guessed that Zion Volt would be leaving on his own journey across the Kanto Region.

The sixteen-year-old was just so . . . _lazy_. And not only that, but there weren't many things that Zion was interested in doing. He loved Pokémon, sure, but he hated physical excursion of any kind. The prospect of hard work made him cringe — and adventuring around Kanto was the very definition of hard work.

And to seal the case, Zion's older brother was a retired Pokémon ranger, while his father was a PokéMart manager. There was no trace of Pokémon trainers in his ancestry, and none of his family members ever pressured him to take up the profession. _So why_ , his father thought, _is my son suddenly so eager to leave?_

"Everything's packed up?" Zhariff asked his son, sprawled across the couch. From this image, people could assume that Zion's laziness came from him, but that wasn't true at all. Zhariff might have been a bit childish, but he was a hard-working man. Taking care of two children by himself wasn't easy.

Zion exhaled, smiling through the nerves that rippled through his body. "Yeah, I think so," he answered. Truthfully, packing everything was a bit too much work for him, so he had his older brother do it for him.

He could only pray that everything was where it should be.

Zhariff stood up, inspecting his son. Zion had grown up so quickly; Zhariff could've sworn that he was nothing more than a toddler just yesterday, waking him up in the middle of the night with incessant screaming. Zion was nearly as tall as him now — 5'8 — and he looked so much like his ex-wife that it was unbelievable. Unkempt brown hair, green eyes, that sharp nose that Julia took so much pride in . . .

Before he could start getting emotional, Zhariff patted his son on the back, laughing. "You better be safe out there, boy. And get strong, too! If I take my old ass out there and get more badges than you, I'm gonna be very disappointed!"

"You might break your hip by just walking outside, so I'm not too worried."

They both laughed, Zhariff playfully shoving his son. If there was one thing that Zhariff taught Zion, it was to never sugarcoat anything — and so the sixteen-year-old was as candid as possible. Even if it was possibly rude, Zion said it, hence the jab on Zhariff's age.

But truthfully, he wasn't _that_ old.

"Here, take this."

Zion turned around, barely catching the bag that was thrown at him, and barely being able to hold it. It was heavy as _hell_. Zion's older brother, Jared, smiled at him as he took gentle steps down the stairs.

"You're welcome," Jared said, leaning against the wall, a pair of crutches in his hands. "I packed some food, some random supplies, your phone charger, extra clothes . . ."

As Jared continued naming the endless amount of things that he shoved in the backpack, Zion frowned. He couldn't help but realize that while he was going on an adventure around the Kanto Region, his brother would be a stay-at-home cripple. It just wasn't fair; Jared was an excellent Pokémon ranger, and yet his entire career collapsed because of one failed rescue mission. Jared was stung, multiple times, by a pack of wild Beedrill — and the poison was so strong that it paralyzed his right leg. He would never be able to do his job again.

It just wasn't fair.

And yet, the world never claimed to be a perfect one.

Zion groaned, forcing those thoughts out of his head. "This piece of crap is _way_ too heavy," he complained, dropping the backpack to the floor. "There is no way that I'm carrying this thing all across the region."

"Well, you could always go without it," Jared said cheerfully, smirking now. "Sure, you'd probably starve to death, or starve _Pichu_ to death . . . and it's not that cold anymore, so you _might_ not freeze to death during the night . . ."

"Alright, alright! I get it." Zion sighed, scratching the back of his head. Jared just always had to talk about someone or something dying, and it made Zion unbearably uncomfortable.

Besides, he was already sold when the thought of Pichu starving came into his mind. Zion loved Pokémon of all types, but Pichu was a gift from his brother, as well as his first Pokémon. He had an extremely large bias to the electric mouse.

Zion picked up the backpack, slinging it across his shoulder. It was heavy, but he could deal with that — for a bit, anyway. He then went into his pocket and felt for Pichu's Pokéball, smiling when he felt the smooth surface slide across his fingers. Lastly, he looked around the living room, smiling at the many memories that flooded his brain. The old TV that never worked, the couch that always sunk too low for comfort, the hole in the wall from when his mother . . .

Swallowing down the emotion that began filling his throat, he stared at his father and brother. "Thank you," he mumbled. "For everything. I really appreciate it, guys . . ."

Jared couldn't help himself. "You could always just join the Agency, y'know? Being a Pokémon ranger is a lot more successful than being a trainer, and they'll easily accept you, for . . . obvious reasons."

"I know, but . . . I want to do things my way." Zion smiled a little, his eyes sparkling in intensity. There weren't a lot of things that were important to the sixteen-year-old boy, but this was. He doesn't even know why; two months ago, he just had the insane notion of becoming a Pokémon trainer . . . and here he was, about to leave on a journey that could be the literal death of him.

It was exciting. Scarily exciting.

"If things don't work out, then I'll become a ranger," Zion reassured, quickly. He suddenly wanted to leave before it became too difficult. "But I do want to try and get all eight badges first."

Zhariff nodded, his face uncharacteristically solemn. "We understand. We'll just miss you, is all."

"I'll be back. I promise." And he would. Zion wasn't the type to go off and die. Not only was he too passive to take risks, but he liked to think that he was smart enough to avoid dangerous situations.

Zion quickly hugged them both. And then, with one last glance at the house, one last glance at sixteen years of his life, he opened the door and walked out into the bright light of Pallet Town. He would miss his little family, a _lot_ , but he wouldn't let his emotions deter him. He had a goal to complete. He had an adventure to go on.

Now was the hardest part. _Walking_.

"Ugh, I need to catch a psychic type," Zion told himself, groaning. "Being able to float around instead of walking would be awesome." Nonetheless, he forced himself to walk away from his home and towards Pallet Town's exit. He couldn't afford to be lazy if he was going to attain all eight gym badges. It was a far-fetched goal, honestly; the Gym Leaders were tough, and it took a lot of skill and willpower to beat one.

Zion didn't have skill. He barely had willpower. He was simply a normal sixteen-year-old boy with indolence problems and an honest mouth. But . . . But he wanted to try. Becoming a Pokémon ranger was good and all, but a bit of variety wasn't bad, right? Zion just wanted to see how well he could do in the wild.

In the corner of his eye, Zion caught sight of a group of people standing outside Professor Oak's lab. The majority of them were smiling, and some were even laughing. He could see the world-renowned professor himself shaking his head, chuckling at whatever was entertaining him. One of the girls caught him looking — _Mavis_ , though he didn't know — and sent him a rather snooty grin.

Zion ignored it. They must have been the famed Pokédex Holders that everyone was so interested in. Honestly, Zion didn't care about the title, which is the exact reason why he didn't even take the test. Too much work, anyway. He had enough of exams during schools.

After awhile of walking — the bag was beginning to really weigh down on him — Zion eventually took his first step out of Pallet Town. He had been to Viridian City on more than one occasion, sure, but this was different. This was the first step into a world of unknown perils, a world of unlimited excitement, a world that could create and end him.

Zion Volt was officially a Pokémon Trainer. And if he had anything to say about it, him and Pichu would rock the Pokémon World.

. . . But not too much, because that'd be way too much work.

Route One was a fairly peaceful route, where the majority of Pokémon didn't bother to attack unless agitated. And even then, it was rare to find a Pokémon that was to actually be feared. Pidgey and Rattata inhabited the area, with the occasional Spearow and Mankey popping up. The route itself was also a lot shorter than most; an hour by car, and nearly 6 hours by feet. With a mixture of dirt plains and grassy hills, as well as a river and a few trees, Route One was considered the easiest and simplest route in all of Kanto.

And yet, Zion barely spent twenty minutes of peacefully walking — with a mixture of humming one of his favorite songs — before running into another boy, leaning against a tree and crying his eyes out.

Yeah. Route One was peaceful indeed.

"Uh . . ." Zion didn't know what to do. While he was carefree with his family, Zion was fairly quiet around strangers. He wasn't shy, but he also wasn't one of those people who gave random people their everything. Because the world wasn't perfect, and people weren't perfect; people _left_ , without any explanation, and Zion didn't want to feel the pain of having his emotions brutally dropped to the ground.

It already happened once with his mother.

At the sound of Zion's awkward appearance, Tobi looked up, his vision blurred with tears. He promised himself that he wouldn't cry — but after walking through the route and realizing just how _long_ he'd have to go, with no supplies at all . . . It was a bit disconcerting. A lot disconcerting, actually. He couldn't do this. He couldn't follow his dream of becoming a Pokémon Trainer with no support whatsoever.

But he also couldn't go back to Pallet Town. He didn't want to be anywhere near that place; it was filled with far too many bad memories. Being practically disowned was just the icing on the cake.

Wiping his tears, Tobi realized that there was a boy in front of him, and immediately felt the heat of shame wash over his face. "I— I'm sorry . . . I . . ." He didn't know what to say; he barely _could_ say anything. Instead, he just buried his face in his hands and sobbed, the thought of embarrassment long forgotten.

"H-Hey, don't . . . don't cry. Why are you crying?" Zion rushed over to the other sixteen-year-old, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He wasn't used to having to deal with crying people, _especially_ crying boys. "What happened?"

"M-My m-mother . . ." Tobi hated himself for crying, hated himself for letting his ignorant mom get in the way of his happiness. But he couldn't stop. It was impossible to stop. "Sh-She . . . She kicked me out. She b-basically d-disowned me."

" _What_?" Zion was at a loss for words. This guy's mom kicked him out of the house? What Why?

Tobi nodded, not knowing why he was relaying this information to a complete stranger, but not having the willpower to stop. "I-I failed Professor Oak's exam thing, a-and she just . . . she just . . ." She just couldn't handle dealing with a son that was both gay and a failure. But Tobi couldn't say, wouldn't say that.

 _Not again,_ Tobi thought, sniffing, trying to control his rampant emotions. _Coming out to Nathan was a mistake. Coming out to my family was a mistake. I'll never do it again. I'll never, ever do it again._

It was bound to be a dark, torturous life . . . but it was a life that he'd have to live.

Zion, on the other end, was suddenly furious. If there was one thing that he sincerely cared about, it was family. He believed that family should always be there for each other, no matter what. He believed that family should support each other, no matter what mistakes occurred . . . because they were family, and they were supposed to love each other through thick-and-thin.

And the fact that it was Tobi's _mother_ who kicked him out made it even more personal. Zion's mother randomly abandoned his family about seven years ago, and it never got easier. Zion could relate to Tobi, and it pained him.

"Your mom is stupid," he said, grabbing Tobi's shoulder and looking him straight in the eyes. Tobi bit his lip, trying to keep himself from crying even more. "Seriously, just because you failed that dumb test? I didn't even _take_ that thing. If she's going to treat you like this, then . . . then you don't need her. Kinda blunt, sure, but it's true."

Tobi didn't know what to say. At school, he'd constantly be complimented on his looks, but never did a stranger ever say something so encouraging to him before. It was nice, and confusing, and just enough to make the tears stop leaking out of his eyes.

"And you know what?" Zion felt something overcome him, something powerful and fiery that pushed past his typical indifferent personality. "You just need to prove to her that you can become a kick-ass Pokémon trainer without Professor Oak's help! When you do, she'll be begging you to come back."

If Tobi was going to accept her back into his life, though, was another question for another day. For now, Zion felt justified in his advice, and Tobi was absolutely blown away. Because Zion was right. Evelyn didn't deserve Tobi's tears. _Nobody_ did. He was going to follow his dreams, and he didn't need anyone other than himself to do it. And Teddiursa, of course.

Wiping his tears away, Tobi's eyes hardened, an unreadable expression crossing his face. "Y-You're right," he said, before allowing a small smile to grace his features. "You're right. Thank you so much . . ."

Zion backed away, allowing the shorter boy some space. "No problem."

He could feel his typical persona seeping back into his body, a lazy grin planting itself on his face. Now that _that_ surprising situation was over . . . what now? Leaving this guy all by himself seemed a bit too harsh, even for Zion. But it was pretty reckless to simply join up with someone he didn't even know.

That's when the weight of his backpack reached it's peak, and Zion just couldn't bear to hold it anymore.

"Hey, um . . ." Zion took the bag off of his shoulders and held it out. "Do you want to carry this for me?"

Tobi blinked. ". . . Sure?"

And just like that, it seemed that they'd be travelling together.

* * *

 _I'm Nobody! Who are you?_

 _Are you — Nobody — too?_

 _Then there's a pair of us!_

 _Don't tell! They'd advertise — you know!_

Selene Mas, as usual, began reciting this simple poem in her head. It always helped her whenever she started feeling . . . weird. And by weird, she meant irrefutably stupid, because there was nothing more illogical than what she was doing now. Standing in front of Route One, three Pokéballs in her pockets, a ridiculous goal in her ridiculous mind.

The poem itself connected to Selene on a personal level. Everyone wanted to be someone special, someone admired, someone world-renowned — and yet, the writer of the poem made it clear that she was a nobody, and that she was proud of being one. Fame was too depressing, too public, too stressful. Being a nobody was the best life, and the writer knew that, yet she didn't want it to become public knowledge because that would just turn her into a somebody.

Selene wanted to be somebody, which was one of the reasons that she was doing this. But becoming a somebody would be leaping out of her comfort zone, and Selene didn't like the thought of that. Her boring, textbook-reading, mundane life was working perfectly . . . so why, then, was she trying so desperately to change that?

It was confusing. Very, _very_ confusing. So confusing that she was about to personally break away from her dull world and step into the color of becoming a Pokémon trainer.

She was so conflicted, the methodical side of her brain fighting against the emotional side. That's why, as she stood in front of Route One, a few simple yards away from the bustling Viridian City, she recited the one poem that would help collect her thoughts.

 _How dreary — to be — Somebody!_

 _How public — like a Frog —_

 _To tell one's name — the livelong June —_

 _To an admiring Bog!_

Yes, how dreary, how public, how . . . bad. This was bad. This was a bad idea that would give nothing short of bad results.

She needed to turn around and go back home to her father, who would condescendingly comfort her on failing her so-called dream before it even began. Becoming a Pokémon trainer was impractical, as he never failed to tell her. Continuing her studies and becoming someone of real status was the best possible route to take. She was just being childish.

 _But I'm not,_ she thought, shaking her head, forcing her close-minded father out of her thoughts. _I'm not. I really want this._ Selene knew that continuing life as her father wanted her to would not be what she sincerely wanted. Becoming a Pokémon trainer . . . Her life would change _so_ much. But would it change for the better, or for the worst?

It was a risk, and Selene never took any risks. She was logical, and treated everything like a pass-or-fail test. That's why this sudden desire to become a Pokémon trainer was confusing, foreign, and extremely uncomfortable. That's why she continued to recite that certain poem in her head, to convince herself that the lifestyle of a Pokémon trainer was not the lifestyle for her. That's why she was frozen in front of Route One, too conflicted to take another step forward.

 _Turn around. Go back home. Apologize for upsetting my father. Get back to studying for school. This is all just far too risky for you, Selene. Snap out of this spell!_

But for once, Selene really wanted to take this risk. She really wanted to be somebody, no matter how exhausting and uncomfortable it'd be. She didn't want to break out of this spell of becoming a Pokémon trainer — because for the first time in a very long time, thinking of her future made her sincerely happy.

It was confusing. Selene didn't understand why she felt such emotions to such a "barbaric" sport, as her father would say. But . . . But she could at least try, right? She at least knew that it'd haunt her forever if she never even gave this a chance.

With a soft sigh, Selene took a small step towards Route One, and then another step, and then another one. Before long, she was practically sprinting through the grass, her eyes darting to and fro beneath her red bifocals. She was doing this. She was actually doing this!

First, she needed to find and capture a Pokémon. Her father refused to buy her one, based on his idea that she'd eventually give up, so finding one in the wild was the only option that she had.

Any Pokémon would do, too. She wasn't picky. She couldn't really afford to be picky.

"Okay, so . . . come on out, you guys." Selene stopped running, standing at the top of a particularly high hill. She didn't want to get _too_ far from Viridian City.

Looking around, her brain worked on a way to successfully capture her first Pokémon. She didn't have much experience with the creatures; the only ones that she ever interacted with were the Chansey in the Pokémon Centers, or the miscellaneous Pokémon that travelled with their trainers. Her father was a very strict man, and therefore banned her from seeing and interacting with the creatures unless absolutely necessary. So her knowledge on them were very limited — which depressed and excited her at the same time. Selene wasn't used to not knowing things, but she loved learning new things.

 _So this little expedition might have to be improvised,_ she thought to herself, frowning. Selene was a master at rationally thinking things through; improvising anything wasn't one of her strong points. But . . . But she'd have to do it.

Suddenly, her eyes caught sight of two Rattata, jumping around each other in apparent glee. It was . . . cute? Shaking her head, Selene went in her pocket and clutched a single Pokéball, every muscle in her body tensing. This was it. She needed to catch that Rattata.

That's when one of the Pokémon saw her looking, glasses shining, infamous Pokéball in it's hand. This certain Rattata knew a bit about the world, and knew about the infamous Pokémon trainers that would come through and capture his species. He didn't want to be one of those unfortunate Pokémon; as far as he knew, they were abused and starved, and he didn't want any of that. Giving a look to his mate, he gestured towards the female human . . . and that was all the incentive needed for them both to charge into a mad sprint.

"H-Hey, wait!" Selene wasn't expecting this. Usually, she'd just tilt her head and think through her options. But she couldn't do that this time. She needed to move without thinking — and _fast_. "Wait, R-Rattatas! Hey!"

She chased after the two Pokémon, running as fast as her under-worked legs would go. Selene wasn't used to physical excursion at all, and therefore lacked the speed and stamina needed to catch up. Did she know this? No, not really. So with as much energy as she could muster, Selene continued to chase after the Rattatas, not knowing that they were getting farther and farther away with every second.

"P-Please! I'm just— I'm just trying to—" To capture them? Enslave them in a small ball and force them to fight for her? Selene didn't know the right words to say, so she just kept her mouth shut and continued running.

And then, when she finally figured out that she could never catch up to the two Pokémon, she threw caution out the window and tossed the Pokéball as far and hard as she could muster. And lo and behold, the item hit one of the Rattata right in the head, opening up and sucking the creature into the Pokéball in a flash of red. The female Rattata looked at her shrinking companion in horror.

Selene, seeing the Rattata actually in her Pokéball . . . started cheering. "Yes! Yes, I did it! I actually did it!" She began jumping up and down, unbeknownst to the fact that her Pokéball was frantically shaking to and fro. "I actually . . . I actually did it! On my first try, too? Th-This is almost implausible!"

And then the Pokéball burst open, releasing the angry male Rattata. The female creature looked at her friend in happiness, while the male Pokémon gave his companion an almost reassuring grin. He was free to live another day.

Selene stared at the Rattatas, mid-cheer, blinking profusely. _What?_ When the two Rattata then turned their gazes towards her, anger in their eyes, she snapped out of her shock and took a few steps back.

"I-I'm sorry . . ." Selene continued walking back, her fear skyrocketing with every step the Rattata duo took towards her. "I didn't mean t-to do that . . ."

 _Run, Selene._

Selene ran.

The two Rattata gave chase almost immediately — and just like that, the tables were turned. Selene was running away from a duo of bloodthirsty beasts that wanted nothing less than to chew her apart — or in this case, a pair of Rattata that just wanted revenge for nearly being scared to death.

Usually, the two Pokémon would have caught up and bit at the girl's feet. But the fear gave Selene an extremely large boost in speed, and so she ran and screamed and waved her arms around . . . until the two Rattata eventually felt pity for the poor female human, and left her alone. But Selene didn't stop running. No, the only thing that she could envision was her body on the grassy ground, large bite marks all over her arms and legs. Rattata weren't really known to do that to humans, but did she know that? No. And so she ran, and ran, and ran, her feet pounding against the ground and her heart beating way too fast to be healthy.

And that's when she tripped.

Selene fell flat on her face, her glasses flying off. Because she was running in the grass, the fall didn't hurt as much as it could have . . . but still, she let out a loud whine as her body smacked against the ground, and her arms skidded across the dirt.

"This is just great," she grumbled, panting, her eyes watering in defeat. "Of course this would happen. I'm going to end up killing _myself_ at this rate."

Her shirt was ruined, but she tried not to care too much about that. It wasn't like she wore expensive things anyway; unlike the majority of girls, Selene wore simple baggy clothes, because why care about being stylish when you've spent the majority of your life inside?

Selene squinted at the blurry world around her, patting the ground for her glasses. "Come on," she mumbled, panic growing in her chest. She needed her glasses; Selene was absolutely blind, and there was no way that she could find her way back to Viridian City without them.

But she couldn't find them. No matter how hard she looked, Selene could not find her glasses. The panic was at full level now, and she crawled around on all-fours, rubbing her palms against the grass to somehow touch them. _No, no, no, no, no—_

"Pi!"

Selene almost screamed at the sound of a Pokémon standing in front of her, not even a yard away. The sixteen-year-old jumped, backing away, squinting at the creature that almost made her shit herself. From what she could see . . . it was brown, and small, and had feathers? A Pidgey?

"Pi! Pidgey!" The Pidgey jumped closer to the girl, making her tense up even more. But then, in the mouth of the bird was . . . her glasses! The Pidgey found her glasses!

"Oh my— Thank you so much!" Selene quickly grabbed the bifocals from the bird Pokémon, wiping them against her shirt before placing them on her face. The world immediately shifted from a blurry mess of green and blue to magnificent quality.

The Pidgey regarded the human coolly, staring at the female with brown eyes. Truthfully, the bird didn't know why she decided to help the human. Was it because of pity? Probably. She saw the entire fiasco with the two Rattatas — and to say the least, she was ashamed that any species could be so weak. And then seeing the human lose her glasses? Pidgey wasn't the most compassionate of her kind, but she had to admit that that was a pathetically sad sight.

Selene stared at the bird, wondering why it would help her so randomly. She didn't understand Pokémon; she barely understood regular people. But . . . But here it was, watching her, studying her. What was she supposed to do?

That's when she remembered the bulge in her pants and quickly took out the second-to-last Pokéball. The Pidgey tensed at the sight of it, but Selene tried her hardest not to seem too antsy. She couldn't afford to lose this opportunity. The mere prospect of looking for more Pokémon almost made her cry.

"Hey . . . Would you like to journey with me? I . . . I don't really know how to take care of myself, as you probably just saw, but . . . but you really helped me out, and I do need a first Pokémon." Selene outstretched her hand, the Pokéball shining in the sunlight. Her eyes were practically begging the Pidgey to accept, but she wouldn't verbally beg. Yet. "I promise to take care of you, a-and I promise to . . . love you? I don't— I don't really know . . . This is all just too confusing."

Selene's brain felt like it was going all over the place. She wasn't usually this flustered, but this world was turning out to be a very crazy one — and crazy was unpredictable. She didn't know what to expect anymore. And that scared and excited her. She was finally — if only a little — becoming the type of person that she wanted to be. Outgoing, adventurous, _fun_.

Pidgey cocked it's head to the side, visibly scrutinizing the human girl. Did she really want her to join her? Pidgey did not want to be enslaved to a pathetic human such as herself. She was _far_ above whatever caliber the human girl considered herself on.

And yet, Pidgey always secretly wanted to get away from this uneventful route. She wanted action, and adventure, and a chance to get stronger. Would the human girl actually be a suitable partner? It was a risk . . . but Pidgey did love the rush of taking risks, as she did whenever she messed with a lone Spearow or Mankey.

If it came down to it, Pidgey would train the human girl to be a decent trainer. And if that didn't work, then she'd just leave.

"Pi! Pidgey!" The bird Pokémon tapped its beak against the center of the Pokéball, opening it. Pidgey was instantly engulfed in a flash of red, and then it was sucked into the red-and-white contraption.

Selene gasped, dropping the ball to the ground. _Did that . . . Did that just happen?_ Unlike the last time, she wasn't going to start celebrating just yet. She studied the Pokéball on the ground, waiting, counting down the seconds until it was safe to touch it.

When the ball didn't move, and there was no indication of the bird Pokémon trying to escape . . . Selene couldn't stop the giant smile from gracing her features. "I did it!" she exclaimed, grabbing the Pokéball and holding it towards her chest. "I did it! I actually— I actually caught a Pokémon!"

This wasn't a dream. She had truly done it; she was slowly, but surely, getting closer and closer to a life that constantly intrigued and mesmerized her. She was finally doing something that she wanted, rather than what her father wanted for her — and she was _succeeding_ at it.

Selene Mas was becoming a somebody.

* * *

 **Firstly, that little poem used in Selene's part is not mine whatsoever. It's my favorite poem by Emily Dickinson, so yeah. Just making that clear. I'm nothing but a lowly fanfiction writer lmao**

* * *

 **Anyway . . . erk. 7k words? I actually hate myself. I LITERALLY COULD NOT HELP BUT GO OVERBOARD THIS CHAPTER, AND IT SHOWS. THIS CHAPTER LITERALLY REEKS OF TRY-HARD. sigh. whatever. I know that this chapter was a tad bit emotional, but please note that this is just intros. I'm not going to make every single chapter this emotional and sad. And secondly, I do realize that the characters' relationship with their Pokemon is not being closely focused on. Since this is intros, I'm trying to focus a bit more on the characters, but I promise that I'm not going to neglect the literal entire point of this story. The Pokemon will be focused on later, but not right now.**

 **(watch how the next chapter i write is literally all in the pokemons' point of view lmfao im such trash okay)**

 **But yeah, I'm extremely iffy on this chapter for a lot of different reasons . . . but whatever. I just hope that you guys enjoyed this. Constructive criticism is always nice! (I do know that I use italics far too much, and I'm gonna be working on that too)**

* * *

 **If you DID like this chapter, please review! Actually, no - even if you didn't like this chapter, you will review me. RIGHT NOW. /gets ran over my multiple trucks**

 **But seriously, though, I really do appreciate all of the amazing reviews that you guys have been leaving me. 55 reviews and only 4 chapters? That's just amazing, and I'm extremely grateful. Keep it up, and I'll do my absolute best to make these chapters as amazing as possible!**

* * *

 **okay yeah i'm done. i'm not gonna tell you guys the next 3 characters that will be introduced because i'm a huge tease ehehehe (and because i lowkey dont even know myself)**

 **Bai!**


	6. Bird Set Free

**Before you guys begin reading, I'd like to thank mystic47, TitanMaddix, and DaOneInDaCorner for Alaya, Ophelia, and Luke. They created these beautiful people. I'm just the one that'll be torturing them for the next year xD**

 **Truth be told, I'm actually not sure if I got these characters completely right, which is one of the reasons why this chapter took _so_ long to upload. If I'm not doing them justice, creators, please tell me so that I can fix my mistakes next time! :)**

* * *

Pewter City was a city of stone.

The trainers, likewise, all had a stone cold determination built inside of them. They weren't overly friendly and mild-mannered like the Pallet Town stereotype, nor were they rude and maleficent like the Lavender Town trope. Trainers from Pewter City were tough, unwavering — and they were the perfect kind of people to survive in the wilderness.

Alaya Cressant was the perfect representation of that.

Contrary to popular belief, she wasn't a dumb girl. Quirky? Sure. A bit air-headed? Sure. But never stupid. Alaya knew the risks and dangers of adventuring out into the Kanto Region, and she knew that few ever really achieved their dreams of fame and fortune. Hell, she even knew that her parents weren't 100% accepting of this desire of hers — but if anything, that just made her want to follow her dreams even more.

Because Alaya Cressant could do it. No matter what anyone said, or how much anyone sneered. She truly, honestly _could_ become something more than the average trainer.

"I'm leaving!" the sixteen-year-old exclaimed happily, rushing down the stairs of her house. Because her parents were Pewter City's most renowned Pokémon breeders, they could afford one of the nicest houses there, and they also needed a large backyard for the Pokémon. Her friends often sucked their teeth in jealousy at the lavish style of her home.

Truthfully, it was a nice life. It really was.

Just not the life for Alaya.

Her mother, Serafina Cressant, peeped her head out of the kitchen at the sound of her daughter practically jumping downstairs. A pinch of sadness clutched at her throat. Alaya was leaving her; her pride and joy was leaving her; her only child was finally leaving her. Serafina loved her daughter to death — and even though she'd rather her become a breeder, she was still severely proud of her. The fact that she had to go, though . . . _That_ was the hard part.

"Already?" Serafina asked, drying her hands with a towel as she stepped in Alaya's way. "But it's so early, sweetie. Don't you want me to at least make lunch?"

Alaya shook her head, the smile on her face almost blinding. "Nope. I'll just eat when I get to Viridian City later today. Ooh, do you think they'll give out free food to new trainers? If so, I might need to be a new trainer every day!"

She laughed, completely oblivious to the pained smile on her mother's face. Yes, Viridian City was definitely the right place for her to go. Because of the annual Beginner's Festival held, new Pokémon trainers from around the entire region were congregating there. It'd usually take an entire day — and sometimes more, depending on if she'd get lost — of wandering through the Viridian Forest, but because the event was such a big thing around the region, there was a bus that took newbie trainers to the city for free.

And she absolutely _had_ to go. Sure, she could have simply trained her Ekans right then and hoped for the best against Brock . . . but that wasn't any fun, right? She could catch more Pokémon by going to Viridian City, as well as meet new people. And the late-night parties were known to be absolutely epic.

"Well, if you insist . . ." Serafina brought Alaya close for a hug, and the sixteen-year-old paused her frantic thoughts to hug back. No matter how tense things became, Alaya sincerely loved her parents. Yes, even her infuriating father.

 _And speaking of the devil . . ._

Garret Cressant walked into the room, a permanent frown on his tanned face. The man was a giant, standing at nearly 6'5, and the muscles on his arms were a clear testament of his strength. But even with his brusque appearance, the man was an amazing Pokémon breeder, and showed incredible love to Pokémon of all types.

 _If only he could extend some love to us,_ Alaya thought, frowning a little. But no, she refused to let him ruin her mood. Not today. Not ever again, actually.

"Welcome to the party," she spoke, injecting as much cheerfulness as she could into her voice. "It's good that you made it, actually. I'm just about to leave!"

Garret simply nodded at his daughter, a tinkle of disappointment in his eyes. Truthfully, he loved his family more than anything in the world. He just lacked the ability to show it — and with Alaya, it was even worse, because she was always so bubbly and upbeat and . . . _different_. She was so, so different from him. And it hurt him even more to see her preparing to leave on a journey across Kanto when all he ever wanted was for her to continue the family profession.

But for once, he wouldn't argue. He wouldn't get mad. Garret would do nothing but purse his lips and let his daughter do whatever she wanted to do with her life.

Alaya frowned as her father went immediately to the kitchen, completely indifferent to the grand event that was about to take place. She was about to begin her Pokémon adventure! Wasn't that even enough to crack a simple smile out of him?

"Whatever," she said, loud enough for him to hear. Smiling, she gripped the straps of her bag. "I wasn't expecting you to react much anyway, so it's cool."

That was Alaya Cressant; blunt as hell, while injecting a reasonable amount of cheerfulness to not offend someone. Well, most of the time. Rarely did Alaya even realize when she had pissed someone off, which attracted just as many people as it pushed away.

"Anyway," she said, turning towards her mother. "The bus takes off soon, so I'll be leaving now! Take care of things while I'm gone, alright? That means _no_ Pokémon are allowed in my room, except for that little Onix you're talking care of, because even my rules can be bended. And— Wait, if I'm not here . . . WHO'S GOING TO STOP THE RANDOM MEN FROM FLIRTING WITH YOU? Oh my Arceus, I better not have a little brother named Henry Black when I get back . . . Hey, that rhymed!"

As Alaya laughed, Serafina stifled her own giggles behind her hand. That's why she loved her daughter so much; no matter what, she never failed to make her laugh. It made her happy to know that this departure wouldn't be a depressing one.

But at the same time, it worried her. Could Alaya really survive in such a dangerous world? Could her sweet, carefree, lovable daughter seriously endure the perils of Pokémon training?

Serafina hoped and prayed that she could, that she _would_.

With one last hug and one last kiss, Alaya opened the door to her house and walked into the bright sunlight of the outdoors. Heart pounding, smile widening, Alaya could barely contain the excitement and determination that etched into her very soul. This was finally happening! She was finally becoming a Pokémon trainer, one that would rock the Pokémon world and turn her into someone of legend.

Alaya had dreamed of this moment ever since she was a little girl. At first, she wanted to become the Champion, like so many others of her age. But as she grew older — and a bit more world-weary — she lost sight of that. There was just so much competition for that coveted role, and the thought of her actually succeeding dwindled more and more by the day. But then, a new goal planted itself into her mind. Alaya wanted to be a _hero_ ; someone who helped and encouraged people, someone that people looked to when things went amiss, someone that everyone had no choice but to acknowledge.

Alaya Cressant wanted to be a Gym Leader.

Being the best didn't always mean being the Champion, after all.

So there she was, walking through the streets of Pewter City. Black hair, light brown at the tips, swept behind her shoulders. Deep brown eyes that practically gleamed in happiness, her red and black glasses replaced with contact lenses — because adventuring around the region with glasses was incredibly risky. And lastly, Alaya's blinding smile that greeted everyone who passed by. The girl was practically a beacon of light.

Minutes passed before the sixteen-year-old finally made it to the bus stop. The bus was already parked, some newbie Pokémon trainers already sat inside. As she took those first few steps onto the bus, those first few steps into a brand new world, the driver shot her a curious look.

"You're lookin' to get to Viridian City?" he asked, his voice deep and rough.

With his messy hair and lazy demeanor, he didn't look any older than eighteen. Alaya couldn't stop the grin from forming on her face; he was _cute_.

"Yep," she answered, quickly digging in her bag and taking out her trainer license, flashing the rectangular card in his face. "I'm starting my journey today, so hopefully that means the ride is free. Or am I wrong?"

He shook his head, thumbing towards the back. "Nah, you're right. Hop in and take a seat. I'm leavin' for the city in about fifteen minutes, so make yourself comfy."

"Awesome!" Unable to contain her excitement, Alaya took a seat directly behind the driver, dropping her bag and then leaning over the seat to smile directly at him. "You're cute, by the way. I'm Alaya Cressant. Actually . . . You probably just saw that from my license, so pretend that didn't happen. _Anyway_ , I like your face, so I'm just gonna bug you for the entire bus ride. Alright?"

At the boy's incredulous stare, she simply gave him a cheeky smile. Yes, Alaya was definitely a handful at times, and far too candid for her own good. But at the end of the day, that's just who the girl was; she was incredibly sincere, and was never afraid to speak her mind. And wasn't that a good thing?

To Alaya, it was, and that was all that mattered. She didn't have time to worry about what other people thought of her.

Her Pokémon adventure was just beginning, after all — and she was going to enjoy it.

* * *

Ophelia Lafleur, as usual, was the first one to awake in her home.

Well, the seventeen-year-old wouldn't normally call her house an actual home. To her, home was where the heart was — and considering that she just moved to Kanto a year ago, leaving behind everything in the Kalos Region, Ophelia wasn't quite ready to call her large house a home.

She rolled out of bed, letting her bare feet gingerly touch the wooden floor below. Ophelia's family was very well-off, and so her room was a lot bigger than normal girls', and a lot fancier. Sitting on the edge of her queen-sized bed, the girl stared at herself in her life-size mirror, allowing the drowsiness to slowly ease out of her system. Her golden brown eyes bored into the reflection, inspecting the messiness of her black curls before resting on the dryness around her red lips.

 _There's something important about today, right?_ she thought, tilting her head a little, as if that'd allow the blinding cloud of amnesia to waft out of her ears. But no matter how hard she thought, and no matter how much her arched eyebrows furrowed, Ophelia couldn't focus on a single thing. This always happened; as soon as she woke up, she'd do nothing but stumble around and finish her mundane morning routine, before coherent thought finally made itself known in her brain.

But something was different about today. Something _felt_ different.

Her eyes blinked once, twice, thrice — and like the flick of a light-switch, Ophelia Lafleur finally realized exactly what was important about today.

Today was the day that she officially started her Pokémon journey.

Ophelia's head turned towards the digital clock resting at her bedside, and nothing could prepare her for the time displayed in a bright red glare. _11:38 AM_. The bus that took newbie Pokémon trainers to Viridian City arrived at noon.

"Holy shit—!" The seventeen-year-old female hopped out of bed, swearing, running straight into her own bathroom. This _couldn't_ have been happening. Not today, the one day she absolutely couldn't afford to sleep in, the one day that needed to be perfect.

And there she was, frantically taking off her clothes, only twenty minutes left to get ready for the start of her new career. Ophelia wanted to bang her head against the wall. Multiple times. But because that would just be wasting time, she refrained from giving herself a mild concussion.

Maybe later.

Ophelia didn't take long. No matter how much she wanted to soak in the shower and fantasize about the amazing things that were bound to happen in her ever-changing life, she just couldn't risk it. So she swiftly took her shower, quickly dried her hair — for as long as she could stand — and tied it into the messiest bun in the entire universe. And then, she brushed her teeth, while simultaneously applying a modest amount of makeup on her chocolate brown skin.

It was hard, excruciatingly stressful work.

And while Ophelia outwardly groaned and complained and sweared at every fifth second, the seventeen-year-old was inwardly enjoying this frenzied state of running around everywhere. Ophelia always had to be doing _something_ , always had to be moving around and being productive in some way, shape, or form. She had been confined to a demanding, uneventful life for far too long. Being forced to sit down and do nothing for long periods of time made her mind race, and it made her terribly anxious. But being able to run around, loud and _free_. . .

Well, to Ophelia, it meant the entire world.

That's why she was becoming a Pokémon trainer in the first place. Not to become the very best there ever was, or to catch them all, or whatever kids her age typically said. No, Ophelia Lafleur was simply tired of having her entire life chosen for her, and having nothing to do but follow behind her busy father. She was sick of having to move all the time; she was sick of leaving behind everything, friends and all, without a say in the matter; she was sick of being a puppet to her parents' busy lifestyle.

But not anymore. Ophelia's father — Oscar Lafleur — had finally given her the permission to travel across the Kanto Region on a Pokémon journey. Sure, it only took a few months of brutally ignoring him when she first asked, and even then he only agreed because his business partners assured him that there'd be no more moving for a long time . . . but whatever.

It was happening, and that was all that mattered.

After finishing up in the bathroom, her hair a giant mess and her makeup applied pretty badly, Ophelia rushed over to put on her clothes. Thankfully, the girl had already picked out an outfit last night, so she only had to poke in her closet and snatch out her outfit for the day; a blue athletic sweatshirt, tight running pants with a flower design on the sides, and comfortable black shoes. Lastly, the girl snatched up her blue and white backpack — especially making sure not to forget her phone.

"Am I ready?" she asked aloud, looking over herself in the mirror's reflection. Her slightly wet hair made her cringe, and the lipstick on her lips was definitely not up-to-par . . . but then she looked over at the digital clock, saw that she only had ten minutes left, and suddenly her appearance didn't matter so much.

Who cared what people thought anyway? Not her. Ophelia was the type of girl that exuded nonchalance and confidence in any social situation, no matter if she looked like a sick Golbat.

Before leaving for downstairs, Ophelia made sure not to forget the most important part of her journey. It would be a crime and a shame if she somehow managed to leave her Swablu, the only Pokémon that she had.

Ophelia rushed over to the back of her room, where her small bird-type Pokémon lay, softly snoring. Just like the rest of her family, Swablu typically spent the mornings fast asleep, and was more active during the night. Ophelia realized early-on that Swablu rarely liked going in her Pokéball, so she mainly slept and did everything else outside of it. Which, at this point in time, wasn't really the best situation, considering that they needed to leave _right now._

"Hey, 'Blu . . ." The female Pokémon trainer gently shook her Pokémon, smiling a little as it opened it's eyes and let out a yawn-like noise. "Today's the day, buddy. Come on, I'm running a little late right now, so we need to leave, like, immediately."

". . . Swa!" Swablu was quick to understand, even though it was just awoken from it's deadly important slumber, and quickly hopped atop Ophelia's messy hair. The girl sighed in response; Swablu typically liked perching atop her head, so she rarely complained anymore. And it wasn't as if her hair could look any worse at this point.

With one last look around her room, a place that she _still_ couldn't call her home, the seventeen-year-old walked through the door and practically jumped down the stairs.

"Anyone alive down here?" she asked, taking a quick second to look around the kitchen and living room. But just like she thought, every member of her family was dead asleep. Figures. Her father, a prominent business-man, was always overworked and needed as much sleep as humanly possible. Her mother just wasn't a morning person, despite how cheerful and stereotypical she seemed. And her younger brother always stayed up during the nights, watching PokéTube videos and playing video games, so he tended to sleep until the late afternoons.

Sighing, Ophelia started looking around for a pen and a sheet of paper. If she would've overslept and missed the bus, she would have killed all three of them for being lazy bums — including Swablu, for also not having the decency to awake when the sun rose. The fact that she'd have to leave without saying goodbye to her family was a tiny bit disconcerting, though — but if Ophelia was anything, it was adaptable. She'd just write them a letter for now, and then call them when she made it to Viridian City.

And because Cerulean City was a pretty prominent place in Kanto, she'd be back to see them sometime soon. The Beginner's Festival, however, was just something that she could not miss out on. It was bad enough that she had to wait an extra year before teenagers typically left.

Thankfully, Ophelia found a sheet of notebook paper on the kitchen table, and a pen in the drawer underneath. Popping open the wiring utensil, she bent over the counter and began to furiously write.

 _Hi. Woke up late so had to rush to bus. Didn't have time to wake you all up and say bye. But I do want to say thank you Dad for finally letting me go on this journey, and thank you Mom for persuading him. I love you both so much and I'll see you again soon._

 _Oh, and for Isaac; don't get in trouble while I'm gone. Love you too._

 _I'll call you guys when I get there._

Ophelia would have normally placed the note in a more noticeable place than the kitchen counter — but her eyes wandered to the time on the stove, _11:57 AM_ , and the panic once again set in the pit of her chest.

With a huff, the seventeen-year-old girl took one last look around the house that she still refused to call home . . . and just like that, she opened the door to the house and stepped into the bright sunlight of Cerulean City.

Her Pokémon adventure was finally beginning. She was finally getting a chance to live her life; she was finally getting a chance to prove herself.

And like a bird set free, Ophelia Lafleur would fly towards her happiness.

* * *

Lavender Town was one of Kanto's more well-known places — but not necessarily in a good way.

The town was known by many to be extremely haunted, which wasn't very surprising at all, considering the place was basically a graveyard for the majority of it's existence. And with the creation of the new Radio Tower, many say that the ghosts of both human and Pokémon are even more angry; to have their resting places destroyed for a stupid radio station _must_ have been a major blow to their ethereal egos, right?

Even though the Lavender Radio Tower had attracted a lot more attention to the town, that still didn't excuse the residents from being relatively nasty with each other, and with whoever else decided to visit the place.

Luke Church, a natural-born citizen of Lavender Town, was a work-in-progress.

The sixteen-year-old male was currently fighting in an official Pokémon battle against another wannabe-trainer, Maverick Johnson. Both Luke and Maverick were born and raised in Lavender Town, and so they both knew each other pretty decently. Well, most people knew of Luke; his dreams of fame and recognition, coupled along with his brother's enormous popularity, made him a very well-known person. To Maverick, though, Luke was just another guy with the same goal as him; to become Champion of the Kanto Region.

To Luke, Maverick was just another irritation in a town of annoyances.

"Alright, Elekid. Keep your head in the game," Maverick said, staring at the other teenage boy with a mixture of tenacity and exhilaration. He was determined to win this match; nobody had ever beaten Luke, as far as he knew, and so he definitely wanted to be the first. He and Elekid were a good team, after all.

And since today was the day that trainers from Lavender were all heading to Viridian City for the Beginner's Festival, journalists and interviewers from the Radio Tower were centered in on their battle, watching and commentating and snapping pictures at every opportunity. Maverick absolutely refused to lose here.

It was too bad that Luke, too, was not going to allow himself to admit defeat.

"Shock wave, Elekid!"

The yellow, round-bodied Pokémon charged at Luke's Ralts, spinning his arms around to charge up for an attack. Electricity began surging from the Elekid's arms, and the striped Pokémon ran just a little closer to the Psychic Pokémon before releasing a wave of lightning at the Ralts.

Fortunately, Luke was quick-witted enough to know that dodging an attack like that wouldn't work, and so he opened his pink lips for a calm command.

"Teleport."

Ralts was gone in a flash, the electricity missing the Psychic entirely. Both Elekid and Maverick looked around in confusion, desperately trying to locate Ralts' position. Neither of them saw the small, white Pokémon falling from the air. Neither of them could stop the Ralts from landing right on top of Elekid's head, damaging it, before jumping off and landing gracefully in front of his trainer.

"What the heck?" Maverick exclaimed, stomping childishly. "That has got to be cheating!"

"Shut up with all the whining," Luke grumbled, massaging his temples. "But yeah, you're right. Using a move that my Pokémon has learned is clearly cheating."

"It is!"

Luke sighed, simply shaking his head in response. The boy was easily annoyed when it came to the people of Lavender Town — or anyone, really. And why shouldn't he be? When half of the populace believed in ghosts and demons, it was pretty hard not to be the least bit irritated by their stupidity. Not only that, but the constant chatter and camera-clicking of the radio reporters were starting to become extremely taxing on his patience. If he could, he'd break all of their cameras and yell at them to leave him alone.

. . . Well, he _could_ , but that wouldn't be the best solution. If Luke was anything, he was poised. He was very inept at keeping his composure, even when the world around him threatened to shake in vexatiousness. He had his older brother to thank for that, after all; Daniel Church, nicknamed Lavender Town's strongest trainer, was constantly trying to ruffle his feathers.

Luke was almost immune now. _Almost_.

"Arthur, let's just finish this battle with a Magical Leaf," Luke ordered, his slightly irate expression instantly morphed into a stone cold glare. His deep brown eyes narrowed in both serious concentration and a powerful determination to win.

Ralts — nicknamed Arthur by his trainer — nodded, concentrating his psychic power and allowing the raw energy to form around him.

"Erk . . . Dodge it, Elekid!" Maverick yelled, starting to feel a bit panicked — but nothing could stop Ralts' magical energy from contorting into sharp leaves and slamming straight into the electric Pokémon.

Elekid was instantly knocked into unconsciousness.

Luke gave the other teenage boy a small smirk, revelling in his dumbfounded expression. _That'd_ teach him for suddenly challenging him to a match right before he could board the bus to Viridian, simultaneously causing so many different individuals to stop and view the match. Speaking of the viewers . . . The victory felt a little too anticlimactic for them, personally, but that didn't stop anyone from cheering and rushing towards both Pokémon trainers.

"You won, Mr. Church!"

"And a sad victory for rookie-trainer Maverick Johnson."

"How do you feel about this sudden loss? Do you believe that this is a bad premonition for the rest of your Pokémon career?"

"How are you so strong, Mr. Luke Church? Has your older brother been sharing secrets with you?"

While Maverick was trying his hardest to answer the bombardment of questions, picking up his shattered ego from the ground, Luke simply returned his Ralts into his Pokéball and attached the red-and-white ball onto his belt. A thank-you was not required; Ralts knew that, was used to that slightly cold treatment. Luke Church respected his lone Pokémon — but that's where the line stopped.

It wasn't his fault. Not necessarily. If his parents weren't killed by a cave-in caused by the Graveler in Mt. Moon, then he'd have probably grown to love and treat Pokémon as friends rather than servants. But his parents _were_ killed; he and his brother _were_ left to fend for themselves; Pokémon _were_ the cause of their unhappiness.

Maybe his legendary brother, Daniel, could let it go. Forgive and forget is what they all say, after all. But not Luke. Never Luke.

Because of his parents' early demise, Luke grew a monumental grudge against Pokémon of all types, and swore to change the safety policies of the Kanto Region. It just wasn't right that Pokémon were allowed to kill humans willy-nilly. It just wasn't right that the people were _used_ to that insane treatment. And what kind of Champion was Red if he just silently allowed for these things to happen? Even Lance could do something — and yet, he was just as useless.

That's why Luke was fully intent on becoming Champion of the Kanto Region. His older brother was close to accomplishing that goal himself — but no, Luke would not allow Daniel to become the Champion. Daniel was just too passive; he'd get absolutely nothing done. Nothing important, anyway.

And so this was Luke's chance. He was sixteen, and today was the day that he'd finally be able to take the bus to Viridian City. Today was the day that he'd finally be able to begin his conquest for ultimate power and recognition.

And _justice_.

"Um . . . Mr. Church? Do you hear us?" one of the reporters asked, bringing the microphone closer to the boy's face. "Is your older brother the secret of your strength?"

Luke blinked, somehow maintaining his blank facade, even though the question made him sick to his stomach. He hated when people compared him to Daniel. This journey of his was also about proving his own independence. Luke didn't want to be like his brother; Luke wanted to be _better_.

"I like to think that when I'm out by myself in the wilderness, fighting against . . . Let's say a wild Scyther. No amount of secrets that Daniel gives me will be enough to prevent it's blade from chopping into my neck." Laughing at his own morbid joke, Luke shook his head. "But honestly, no, he hasn't really shared anything with me. Not like I want him to. All of my strength and talent comes from me."

"And your Pokémon, of course," another reporter said, flashing a camera to catch his deadpanned expression. "Right?"

"Of course." _Not._

The bus behind them suddenly honked, the driver letting everyone know that he's ready to go. With the interview cut short, Luke allowed himself to smile a little, shrugging at the reporters' disappointed frowns. Even though they annoyed the hell out of him, he knew the benefits of being on the radio. More exposure would gain him more followers, and more followers was the ultimate key to becoming Champion.

Nobody could seriously do it without allies, of course. And Luke was the best at gaining allies.

Manipulative? Sure. Did he care? Of course not.

"Wait, Mr. Church! Before you leave, do you have any last remarks to say before officially starting your journey?"

"Any last remarks?" Luke tilted his head a little, a strand of his dark brown hair falling in his eyes. His brain worked for a response. ". . . I guess I just want the people of Kanto to know that I _will_ be their next Champion. There are no _ifs_ , _ands_ , or _buts_ about it. I will make it all the way to the top, and nobody will stop me."

And by nobody, Luke Church meant absolutely _nobody_. His goal was set in stone.

It was only a matter of time before he achieved it.

* * *

 **I always have SO much to say in these Author's Notes, and yet when I finally start writing them, everything just goes away. Sigh. Well, for starters, I guess that I want to thank everyone who's reviewed and followed and continues to support this story of mine. Seriously, words cannot explain the joy I receive when reading a review, and even seeing a follow/favorite notification just lights up my day. It motivates me, even when I'm one of the most unreliable people to ever grace this earth.**

 **So yeah, thanks to EVERYONE, and I really hope that you enjoy this chapter as well. Personally, it feels really choppy to me, and it doesn't help that I made you guys wait an extra week. Sorry about that, but school mixed with my own personal life (and horrible sleeping pattern) made this very hard to complete. Not that I'm losing motivation or anything, but just that I don't nearly have enough free time as I should have.**

 **So long story short, I hate school and it's the cause of this late update, as well as the choppiness of it. (Writing one scene on one day, stopping for four days, and then writing the next scene tends to do that)**

* * *

 **BUT yeah, I finally updated and I'm legit so happy because I really love this story and the crazy ideas I have and UGH I'M SO HAPPY THAT THESE INTRODUCTIONS ARE ALMOST OVER BECAUSE LEGIT THEY'RE THE WORST TO WRITE FOR ANY FANDOM. After the last 3 are done, I can finally get right down to the fun stuff. HOPEFULLY I'll be done by next week.**

 **Let's all take a moment to pray for that.**

* * *

 **A-Anyway, if your eyes have graced this chapter, then you must review. No exceptions. If you don't review, you will have 303654 years of bad luck. And yes, before you ask; I am a witch. Or is the male version of witch a wizard . . ? Whatever. Just please review because I'm shamelessly thirsty and I want to make sure that I haven't lost you guys. :)**

 **Bai!**


	7. Moving On and Letting Go

**Hi! Before you begin reading, I just want to announce that THIS IS THE LAST INTRODUCTION CHAPTER HFBHJDSKNSD YAY! I HATE INTROS OKAY. Now that you all have a general idea of the characters, it'll be easier for me to just write the general storyline and introduce more about the characters as the time goes on. :)**

 **So, without further ado; Aya, Kristien, and Warren were respectively made by Blackreach, PoisonBanana, and W. R. Winters. Thanks, guys, for creating them!**

 **I hope that you all enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Aya Satsuki was an anomaly in Lavender Town.

Not her appearance, though. Aya had waist-length, dark brown hair that was messily curled at the tip, and a single gray hair-clip that swept the bangs out of her eyes. Even her eyes, too, weren't very surprising; born with heterochromia, Aya's right iris was a dark brown, while her left was a stormy blue. She was a very cute girl — "sixteen-years-old and _slaying_ it," as she often said — but the way that she typically dressed in dark clothing, and the way that she stared at a person, instantly brought the place Lavender Town to mind.

People from Pallet Town dressed in color, while people from Lavender Town didn't; it was just a simple stereotype that many people believed.

But that's where the similarities with her home ended. Aya's personality could be described as rather . . . erratic. Known by many to give random outbursts of random tidbits, she was the type of girl that Lavender Town didn't have much of. Cheerful, outgoing, optimistic, sociable — she was a bundle of positivity, and it brought a flurry of color into a town that preferred to stay in the dark.

If only people knew her history. If only they knew the real reason as to why she moved from Sinnoh. Maybe then they wouldn't judge her so quickly. Maybe then there'd be people at least trying to _attempt_ a smile her way as she stood in front of the bus stop, talking to the members of her family and waiting for her ride to Viridian City to show. Maybe then she'd actually have true friends and not just friendly associates, and maybe then she wouldn't be seen as the crazy girl who cringed whenever someone touched her. If only they knew . . .

But people didn't know much. People just _assumed_ that they did. It's something that Aya was painfully well-aware of.

"And how are you feeling, dear?" Miyuki Satsuki asked, giving her daughter a huge smile. "Is my little soldier ready to take on the world?"

Aya shrugged, watching as a group of Spearow flew overhead, making themselves home at the top of the Radio Tower. How _did_ she feel? Happy that she was finally leaving to learn more about the world? Sad that she'd be away from her mother, her two younger brothers, and two aunts? Or maybe it was a mixture of the two?

Whatever she felt, Aya at least knew that she was excited. The thought of leaving dreary Lavender Town and going out to other parts of Kanto had always fascinated the girl; being chained to a single place was horribly stifling, and it made Aya feel anxious. But being able to fly out into the wild, carefree and happy, away from anything that could hurt her . . .

Well, any other emotions could be ignored, because going on an adventure was the only thing that Aya wanted to do with her life. As long as she was moving, nothing could hurt her. Nobody could hurt her. Not again. And just imagine all the new things that she'd _learn_!

"I feel good," she finally answered, looking up to stare at her beautiful mother. Not in the eye, though; Aya never made eye-contact with anyone. "Content. I'm ready for this."

"And I'm sure you are!" Madoka Satsuki, her aunt, exclaimed. "When I was your age, all that I wanted to do was leave the house and go on my Pokémon journey. It didn't work out very well, as you can clearly see, but I met the love of my life so it was worth it."

Akane smiled at her wife, capturing Madoka's hand in her own. "But you used to hate me."

"True, but that's only because you were better than me, love."

They laughed, shaking their heads as the memories started flooding back. Miyuki just smiled, happy that her sister could be happy. She still remembered the day that Madoka came out to the family, with her own fiery-haired girlfriend to boot, and couldn't help but snort at the memory of their parents' shocked expressions.

"But anyway," Madoka continued, still chuckling. "Don't worry about the specifics, alright? You're a smart girl, but perhaps a bit _too_ smart. Trust me; when you're a few months in and you're re-wearing the same pair of panties for the fourth time, you'll understand where I'm coming from."

They all laughed again, this time with Aya included. She loved her family for this specific reason; while they were sometimes crazy, they were genuine, and they sincerely wanted the best for her. Besides, she owed them a lot; if it wasn't for her auntie agreeing to let their family live with her, Aya would still be stuck in Snowpoint City . . . with her father.

But that was something that neither of them liked to think about.

"Interestingly enough," Aya sniped. "Did'ya know that the world-record for the most underwear worn at a single time is at two-hundred and fifteen? I think the guy's name is Jimmy, and he's from Viridian City. Cool, right?"

Akane — and the rest of Aya's family — immediately deadpanned. It was so like the sixteen-year-old to ruin any form of laughter through one of her random facts. It was as if Aya had no form of social tact. Which, actually, she didn't.

". . . Let's just hope that you don't meet him anytime soon, alright?"

"Hey, your wife just admitted to wearing the same panties for four days. Jimmy just might end up being my husband."

And then they were laughing again. Aya really would miss her little family. Her younger twin brothers were both still at home, too sleepy to come outside and wait for the bus with her, but that was alright. She still managed to say goodbye to them, and she was going to face-time them whenever they woke up.

As the adults began talking again, Aya looked up and gave them each a sad smile. _I really will miss all of you . . . But I'll be back. I promise that I'll be back, stronger and smarter than ever! And you all better believe it!_

In the distance, Aya could suddenly see a large blur speeding towards them. Digging in her bag, the sixteen-year-old took out her broken glasses and brought them towards her face — though didn't put them on. She had torn off the ends of her glasses because she really, really didn't like for anything to touch her face, and so she simply looked through the lone lenses whenever she needed to see something from far away.

Maybe that was why people thought she was a little insane.

Just as she assumed, the bus that was supposed to take her to Viridian City was approaching at a steady pace. Grinning now, Aya brought a hand to her chest, relishing in the feeling of unadulterated excitement. It was finally happening. She was actually going to do this.

She was taking one more step away from a past that never failed to erase her joy.

"Looks like your ride is here," Miyuki mumbled, bringing an arm around her daughter. For a second, a _split_ second, Aya winced at the contact — and then furiously blushed in embarrassment at her mother's watery gaze.

It wasn't her fault. No matter how many nights Aya used to spend back in Snowpoint, crying and begging for her mother to return. No matter how victimized and dehumanized she used to feel, day after day. No matter how much she wanted her mother to notice the pain that had latched deep inside of her multi-colored irises . . .

It just wasn't right to blame her. They were all victims.

Aya could keep telling herself that, at least.

"Aya . . ." Miyuki bent down to stare her daughter in the eye, the guilt already making itself known in her voice. "I just want you to know how proud and happy I am for you, to be going on this journey. And I want you to know that . . . that I will always be sorry for happened, and that I will never stop blaming my—"

"Stop." Aya wasn't the type of girl for physical contact, for obvious reasons. But for once, she didn't care; she wrapped her arms around her mother, embracing her in a tight hug. "It wasn't your fault. I'm okay. We're okay."

But in the end, words were meaningless. Miyuki would never stop feeling the stabbing pain of guilt that ate at her heart whenever she looked at her daughter, and Aya would never be able to fully let go of her abusive past. But for the time-being, they could both . . . forget. Never forgive, but hopefully forget.

Aya didn't have much of a choice, after all. She and her Starly were going on an adventure that was sure to be far more important than her destabilizing past. She needed to be strong; not only for herself, but for everyone that was soon to be involved with her.

With a grin, Aya released from her mother and put up a peace-sign. "I guess I'm going now. Take care of everything while I'm gone, alright? I'll be texting you each an interesting factoid every day, so don't think that you're rid of me just yet!"

Yes, Aya Satsuki would be strong.

* * *

Fuchsia City. A small place located in southwest Kanto, home to the Safari Zone and the Poison Type Gym Leader, Janine Zill. People who chose to reside in Fuchsia were a lot less open-minded than Pallet Town natives, yet a lot more sociable than the Lavender Town stereotype; these people were strict, traditional, yet a lot kinder than people liked to perceive. It's mainly the older people who were stuck in their ways, after all. With the growing technological advances, the younger generations were starting to see the world in a way that's different than what their elders preached.

But that didn't solve most of Fuchsia's issues. The city was given lots of backlash due to their own personal laws and judgements, and most kids did grow up learning to hate rather than love. Janine, as Gym Leader, was trying her best to unite the people of her city with the others — but it was hard, considering that saying the wrong things could place her own hometown against her, and saying anything else could place the rest of Kanto against her.

Fact of the matter was . . . Fuchsia City was controversial and riddled with negativity.

Of course, though, there were people who didn't really fit in with the traditional customs set there. Kristien Frazier, eighteen-years-old and wannabe-Pokémon Champion, was one of them.

Maybe if his mother hadn't died a _long_ time ago due to birthing issues, and his father wasn't an idiotic drunkard, then Kristien would've grown up to become just like the rest of his city. Ignorantly set in his ways, never lending out a helping hand to those who could supposedly help themselves. But because of his home situation, the teenager ended up mainly raising himself, and therefore had a different outlook than his peers.

"Good morning!" Kristien exclaimed happily, waving as he jogged by an elderly couple. They both gave him a look that was a mixture of confusion and distaste; maybe because of his rather loud voice, and probably even because of his appearance.

Kristien didn't look like everyone else, after all. He was taller than the majority of boys his age, standing at 6'1, and he definitely had a different look to him. His normally brown hair was dyed a striking white, and his eyes were a mystifying mixture between green and blue. Kristien was a very attractive boy, as most would agree, and his personality was nothing short of great — but the older generation didn't see that. They only saw a boy who refused to pertain to their unspoken rules.

When they eventually turned around, ignoring him, Kristien only shrugged and continued to happily jog down the street. He was used to their uppity attitude, and even if he wasn't, today was too good of a day to stress over them. Today, he was finally following his dreams. Today, he was finally considered an official Pokémon trainer.

It was all thanks to his little sisters. Kristien had spent the majority of his life taking care of them, since his father was unable to do so after his wife's death. Friends were easily made, considering his personable personality, but they weren't easily kept; he didn't have time to hang with them after school, too busy working and making sure that his family didn't starve. When Kristien had turned sixteen, he desperately wanted to venture out on his own Pokémon journey, away from the judgemental eyes of his city — but that was impossible, because his sisters were too young to fend for themselves, and it wasn't like his father was much help in anything other than making a mess. So he stayed home and continued working, continued surviving, while letting the unhappiness silently sit in the pits of his stomach.

Until today. Today, Kristien's sisters had given him their blessings.

" _We can take care of ourselves now," Kaitlyn said, handing him a brand new backpack, full of supplies for the long journey ahead._

" _We know how much you want this, Kris. So please, just go and follow your dreams," Karoline had told him, smiling and wrapping her arms around his waist. "We know you don't have a phone or anything, but you could still write us a letter every now and then. And if you're gonna be Champion, then you'll have to stop by here sooner or later!"_

Thinking of them made his heart swell and shrink at the same time. He would miss them so, so, so much — and not only that, but he'd be worrying about them at every possible second. Yet at the same time, he thanked them for letting him finally be free of the chains that held him to Fuchsia.

The main reason that Kristien wanted to leave was a simple one, probably too simple to even care about. He wanted to become the Champion of Kanto, and to relish in the fame and wealth that came along with the title. There was nothing wrong with that, though, right? Kristien had spent his entire life barely being able to afford food for the family; there was nothing wrong with him wanting different, right?

Looking behind himself, Kristien Frazier smiled at the Zubat that had an almost annoying tendency to follow him. Years ago, he and his sisters had found the Zubat living in their attic. Instead of chasing the Pokémon away, however, his sisters brought up the idea of keeping it as a pet, and Kristien didn't argue with it.

When the eighteen-year-old had left the house after a long amount of time of hugging and nearly crying, he noticed a short amount of time later that Zubat was following him. There was some confusion, but after a small talk with the Pokémon, Kristien assumed that the poison-type wanted to come along with him. Which was great, since he didn't have a single Pokémon to his name.

"Just wait a little longer, okay?" Kristien told the Zubat, who fluttered behind at an increasingly slower pace. The sun was getting to him, something that the eighteen-year-old clearly noticed. "I'm heading to the PokéMart now to buy you a Pokéball, so just keep holding out. Unless you want me to hold you?"

Kristien could see the Zubat shake his head. Unbeknownst to the human, Zubat was a prideful Pokémon, and therefore didn't like the idea of someone babying him. He could take care of himself.

Laughing a little, Kristien turned around and continued running towards the nearest PokéMart. After a few minutes, the newbie Pokémon trainer finally made it, and wiped off a bead of sweat as he walked inside. Wearing a red hoodie probably wasn't the best decision ever, but it was his favorite. And so he'd wear it.

The first thing that Kristien saw as he walked inside was a little girl, probably no older than six or seven. She was looking through the shelves with a troubled expression on her porcelain face, tears brimming at the corner of her eyes. The girl picked up a bottle, squinted as she read the label, and then put the bottle down and furrowed her brows even more.

Kristien couldn't help but approach the girl, putting on the most reassuring smile that he could muster. While the boy was bubbly and energetic, he was also extremely helpful and too nosey to not push himself into other people's problems.

Ironic, considering he hated people that tried to dig deep into his own life, removing the mask that he held onto with every fiber of his being.

"Are you alright?" Kristien asked, bending down. "Do you need any help?"

"No," the girl murmured, still squinting as she tried to read label after label. After a few seconds, though, a single tear slid down her face, and she sighed. "Y-Yes, actually. My F-Farfetch'd is sick, and daddy d-doesn't believe in using medicine, but she's really, _really_ sick and I-I don't want to lose her . . ."

The girl was practically sobbing now, while Kristien couldn't stop the frown from forming on his face. There were a lot of people from Fuchsia that believed in home remedies and didn't trust PokéMart medicine . . . and apparently, this girl's father was one of them. Unlike him, however, Kristien did believe in man-made medicine, and was fully resolved to help this girl.

Helping people made him forget about his own demons, after all.

" _Ssshh_ , don't cry," Kristien whispered, going in his backpack and taking out . . . a small lollipop.

One thing about the boy was that he had an extremely horrible candy addiction, and carried large chunks of candy in his satchel. Sure, he was bound to get a cavity one day . . . but it hadn't happened yet, so he was free to indulge in the sweets for as long as possible. And give them out to whoever needed some.

The girl took the lollipop and nodded, sniffling back her tears. "I was so worried that I l-left my glasses, and so I don't know what any of these say . . ." She gestured to the shelf. "I-I think that I need some Antidote?"

"Ah, don't worry! I'll get it for you!"

Kristien took out another lollipop and snatched off the wrapper, sticking the candy in his mouth. With a grin, he jumped up and energetically ran to the other half of the PokéMart, fully intent on helping the girl out. Afterwards, he'd get his Pokéballs, capture the Zubat that refused to leave his side, and then head to the bus stop. He heard somewhere that a bus was supposed to show up and take beginners to Viridian City for free, and that seemed like the best plan he had at the moment.

And maybe, _hopefully_ , Kristien could finally be happy with life. Truly, sincerely happy.

It was worth a shot.

* * *

"Would you like anything to eat, sir?"

Warren Monger looked up at the flight attendant, his expression blank as he silently shook his head. The lady nodded in understanding, the practiced smile still on her face, before walking over to the person sitting behind him. Sighing a little, Warren turned back towards the window, watching as the clouds flew pass at an outstanding speed.

 _If only I had bothered to go searching for a flying-type,_ the twenty-four-year-old man thought to himself. _I wouldn't have to be in this plane, and I'd probably get to Viridian a lot faster._

Warren didn't like planes for a multitude of reasons, but the main reason was the almost innumerable amount of people around him. The man was a loner and didn't even talk; having to somehow communicate with the random people around him — who asked the most random things possible — was tediously wearing him down. Not only that, but Warren hated being kept in a single spot for too long.

And of course the ride from Sinnoh to Kanto took _hours_.

Shifting in his seat, trying to get comfortable, Warren stared at himself in the reflection of the window. His hair was ebony black, styled in a slight wave at the top, and recently trimmed for the move to Kanto. Afflicted with heterochromia, his eyes were two different colors; his left being sapphire blue and his right being a greenish-brown. His eyes gazed over to the extremely noticeable scar at the top of his head, the gears in his brain whirring as memories of that particular event crossed his mind.

The fun, the laughter, the excitement . . .

The gang, the argument, the fighting . . .

The lost, the burn, the ra—

 _Stop it, Warren._

Looking away from the window, Warren laid his head back against the chair, a world-weary sigh leaving his lips. Warren hated thinking about the past, hated wondering if he could have done something different, hated lamenting over his sister's death. But no matter what he was doing, the memories always came back — and they haunted him. No matter how much time had passed since the incident, and no matter how many regions he had explored . . .

Warren would forever be anguished by the literal ghosts of his past.

The twenty-four-year-old was trying, however. He was trying to move on, to let bygones be bygones, and to continue living his life. Warren had spent an entire year of crying, of moping around, of doing nothing but letting the sadness and hate take over his personality. He had gotten over that depressing point of his life and won the gym badges of Sinnoh, Unova, Johto, _and_ Kalos, as well as completely obliterate their Elite Four members. But even though he had beaten the leagues — and on more than one occasion, the Champions themselves — Warren refused to stay and become the official Champion. It just didn't feel right for someone like _him_ to be seen as a beacon of hope and power, when in-reality he couldn't even protect the one person who mattered the most . . .

In the end, it always came back to bite him in the butt. A long time ago, when he was sixteen and still had that hopeful look in his eyes, Warren wouldn't have hesitated at being called the Champion. He would have taken the title, and probably would have flaunted it as well.

But because of one event, one pivotal moment that happened in nearly everyone's life . . . Well, it'd be a blessing if Warren ever really smiled again.

Suddenly, his phone rang, cutting through the silence of the plane. Everyone turned to stare at him as he quickly — and awkwardly — pulled his phone out, as well as his earplugs to stop the nosey passengers from listening in. Cursing under his breath at the embarrassing situation, Warren stared at the screen and read the name of the person trying to contact him.

 _Professor Oak._

Tapping the answering screen, Warren gave the professor a blank stare as the man's face appeared on the screen. _Why would you call me while I'm flying on a plane?_

"Warren Nathaniel Monger!" The elderly man smiled, completely oblivious to the other man's slight irritation. Warren never was good at expressing himself, especially nowadays. "From what I can see, it looks like you're on a plane. Am I correct in that assumption?"

In response, Warren simply turned the camera towards the window, letting Professor Oak see the clear blue sky and the clouds underneath. Turning the camera back towards himself, Warren gave the man a look as if to ask _Why did you call me?_

"Oh, well I'm glad that you're taking my advice in coming to Kanto!" Professor Oak said happily, not perturbed by Warren's silence at all. Of course, he — and everyone else that associated with Warren — knew about the man's vow of silence, and respected it enough to not ask any tough questions whenever they could help it.

After Astrid's death, the twenty-four-year-old vowed to never say another word until he got revenge on his sister's murderers. And sure, there had been times when Warren had no other choice but to speak, such as the many psychological tests he'd been forced to take . . . but otherwise, he prefered to stay silent, almost as if punishing himself for not being . . . strong enough, or fast enough, or simply _enough_ to save his sister's life.

"I understand that Kanto isn't exactly considered the toughest of the tough," Professor Oak continued, simultaneously writing something down on a sheet of paper. "But I feel like you'd enjoy it here. It's not Hoenn, or even Johto, but you could definitely ease off the stress and just learn to enjoy yourself."

Warren allowed himself a moment to fantasize about what that'd look like. Him sitting on some beach, letting the sun shine against his shades and the water lap at his feet . . . Sandra, his Lopunny, would probably enjoy something like that. But Plasmane, his Luxray, on the other hand . . .

"Are you still planning on taking on the gym leaders and the league?" the elderly man asked next, still writing, almost as if the conversation they were having was nothing more than a way to pass time.

Warren nodded, looking out the window once again. If there were a few things that Warren liked to do, it was travelling another region and relishing in the sweet taste of victory. It momentarily took his mind off of the bad things. And winning anything, in general, was always a nice feeling. Warren couldn't imagine going to Kanto without trying out his luck against the gym leaders, and eventually the Champion.

 _The Champion . . ._

Warren knew a lot of different people, mostly those that have tried to battle him and take away his unofficial title, but Red Johnson was a person that always mystified him. One day, when travelling Mt. Silver, Warren had the pleasure of meeting the legendary trainer of Kanto. They didn't battle, however; for the first time, Warren felt like someone had actually _understood_ him, and so they just sat down and . . . talked.

It was one of the weirdest experiences of his life. Red wasn't the official Champion of Kanto either, but he might as well have been; his strength was legendary, and he was already shown to be capable of defeating the entire Elite Four in one sitting. Not even Warren was that strong. When the twenty-four-year-old eventually managed to collect all eight badges of Kanto . . . Fighting Red took the most priority over anything.

"Well . . ." Professor Oak was finishing his paper up, as Warren could clearly see, and so he figured that the one-sided conversation was nearing its end. "I know that you're heading to Viridian City to show the beginners a little something, correct? Well, before you leave, make sure to come to Pallet Town for a quick visit. I have something that I need to give you, alright?"

Warren simply nodded.

"Oh, and by the way . . ." The elderly man finally looked up from his paper, his suddenly serious eyes boring a hole into Warren's. "You aren't still trying to find that gang who . . . you know." Warren's silence was all the answer needed; the twenty-four-year-old bashfully looked away, while Professor Oak sighed. "Listen, I understand where you're coming from . . . but it's been so long, son. People like them are bound to be punished sooner-or-later, by Arceus or whoever's dishing out calamity. You can't let the past control you, Warren."

 _I understand,_ Warren wanted to say — even though it'd be nothing more than a lie. Because no matter what anyone said to him, it'd be nothing but gibberish. It wasn't _them_ who had to watch as their sister was mercilessly raped; it wasn't _them_ who had to take their sister's limp body to the hospital; it wasn't _them_ who had to do nothing but watch as the life drained out of their sister's eyes and she took her last breath.

It would never be them; it would always be _him_.

Warren always had a problem with holding grudges. Even when he was younger and battling random trainers on the side of the road, he couldn't help but hold onto the fact that he actually lost a battle, and always swore to find that person and beat them. The brutal death of his sister, however, was a bit more serious than losing a random match. Warren swore to _Arceus_ that he'd find the culprits responsible. He didn't know what he'd do when the time came . . . but when it did, Warren would be ready for whatever. He _refused_ to give mercy to the lowlifes that didn't even have the decency to show their faces.

Thankfully, though, there was only one thing that distinguished those thugs from the rest of the numerous gangs out there. One thing that would definitely help get him the answers — and revenge — that he needed.

A large red _R_ on their backs.

* * *

 **And that, folks, is the end of these wretched introduction chapters. I'm so glad that I only accepted 12 (or 11, technically) characters, because I doubt that I'd be able to do more of these. They're seriously the worst part of any story for any fandom. It's sometimes hard to get in the head of a certain character for the first time, and then you end up feeling like you're letting that specific creator down - and it SUCKS. BUT enough of that negativity. Once again, if there's something about your character that you don't particular like or agree with, just send me a quick PM and we can discuss it. :)**

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 **Since you guys officially know about every single character, I created a poll that's located on my profile. Please vote! It's basically choosing your favorite 3 characters so far. I think I'll do the same poll every 7th chapter, to see who's popularity rises and falls depending on what they do. :) So yeah, please vote! The poll is at the very top of my profile!**

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 **Lastly, lastly, I created an ! It's basically this thing where you can ask me questions, or tell me something, and I'll answer/respond. It'd be awesome to see you guys asking me questions about this story, or about whatever you want to ask! (And my responses might give you a good laugh, too, so that's something to think about xD)**

 **So yeah, the link for my ASK is also on my profile. It's also an app! You can ask me anonymous questions, or you can create an account and, well, still ask me questions xD Give it a try, alright? I find that I really do like answering stuff.**

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 **Well, that's all from me! See you guys next time! Don't forget to REVIEW and vote in the poll! And ask me a question on ASK! And . . . yeah!**

 **Bai!**


	8. Road to Viridian City

**Hi. I know that this chapter took literally forever and a day to complete, but school is finally over for me, SO UPDATES SHOULD NOT TAKE AS LONG AS THIS DID ANYMORE. HOPEFULLY. YAY?**

 **Nonetheless, I hope that you enjoy the chapter! :)**

* * *

Liam Harris was a mixture of emotions as he took his first steps into Route One, saying goodbye to his many friends and family members.

The sixteen-year-old was excited at the prospect of his dreams coming into reality, his ambitions transforming into a palpable being. It was obvious by the huge smile on his face, and the way that he walked up the large hill to Route One, that he believed his journey would be full of success and riches — and the thought of that was extremely electrifying.

And yet, swirling around in his stomach was a blend of anxiety. Deep down, Liam was scared of the future, scared of venturing out into the wild and having to fend for himself. Even though he tried to be positive, and tried to look as though nothing could harm him, there was that small bit of doubt lingering in his brain. What if everything backfired? What if he didn't become world-renowned? What if all of this was a huge waste of time that would result in nothing but failure and self-loathing?

"Can't you speed up? I don't want Professor Oak to blame me if you get lost out here."

. . . And then there was the chagrin, bubbling underneath the surface, simply because he had to adventure with a girl that had an even bigger ego than his.

Rolling his eyes at Mavis Sullivan, Liam broke away from his apprehension and once again put on that confident facade he had to wear. "I'm not a baby. I can walk at whatever speed I want to."

"And there's the typical 'I can do whatever I want' response that only babies give."

"Whatever!"

Liam refused to be verbally slayed by Mavis and her irritating attitude. If his friends were here to back him up, she'd definitely think twice before mouthing off. But because his friends _weren't_ here, and the only other person to defend him was a mute, he'd have to do it himself. Or, at least, deflect any shade thrown at him with his own quips.

 _This is going to be a long day._

The three Pokédex Holders were officially in Route One, a route that'd introduce the trio to life in the wild. Mavis taking the lead with quick strides, the sun bouncing off her black shades; Shihong Zhang right behind her, staring at the beautiful rolling hills in thinly concealed awe; Liam slowly walking behind them both, his mind a mess of excitement and confliction. This was a pivotal moment — for them all, really.

Even though the girl didn't show it, Mavis was almost overcome with pride and happiness. To be selected as a Pokédex Holder, to gain the recognition from her powerful family, and to be starting her journey all on the same day . . . It was just great, really. Callous and pompous she might have been, it didn't mean the sixteen-year-old couldn't feel elated at the events prior.

Mavis was going to be the best, after all. She could already see the thousands of books being made on her, the first chapter being her confident walk through Route One — with Shihong and Liam as unimportant side-characters, at that. Fame was bound to come, and so the female trainer was practically shining in satisfaction.

 _And since I am being forced to associate with these two losers,_ she thought, her walk coming to an abrupt stop. _I need to set some ground rules._ Turning around, Mavis stared at Shihong's confused expression and Liam's exasperated one, her black sunglasses shining.

"Alright, before we continue on this journey, I just want to make a few things clear," she said, crossing her arms. Liam immediately wanted to groan, though he kept silent to at least amuse her. "I will be cordial, but do not expect for me to come running to your rescue whenever you need help. You two should be able to take care of yourselves. Secondly, I don't want any pictures taken of me doing anything — which includes talking, walking, battling, standing, sleeping, and breathing. I understand that pictures like that will one day become uber profitable, but getting money off of my fame is pitiful, frankly. Thirdly — and this one is directed at _you_ , Liam — I don't want to wake up to you pervertedly groping me, or doing something else seriously inappropriate, or consequences will occur. Does everyone understand?"

"Okay, hold up, what?! Nobody needs for you to 'defend us,' or whatever you just said, and nobody wants to take any pictures of you either!" Liam's face, if it could, would have blushed in anger and slight embarrassment. "A-And who the hell would want to do anything sexual with you?!"

Even though Mavis _was_ sorta hot, her personality was lowering his ranking of her with each second that passed.

Mavis simply scoffed and focused her attention on Shihong. The girl did not feel like arguing with Liam, even if getting under his skin was one of the easiest things she had ever done.

"Do you at least understand me, Shihong?" she asked the quiet girl, who stiffened at suddenly being the center of attention.

Unlike Liam and Mavis, this critical start of their adventure was not sending shivers down Shihong's spine. The sixteen-year-old girl didn't have a real goal that she wanted to meet, nor did she dream about this day for years. Becoming a Pokémon trainer . . . She never really cared about that. Taking Professor Oak's test, becoming accepted as a Pokédex Holder, going out to travel the wilderness of Kanto . . . It was all just a convenient way to get away from her suffocating family. She hated them, hated them so much that words couldn't be enough to measure her hatred . . . and yet, she wanted to make them proud, to maybe love her as much as they loved Jin.

Being a Pokémon trainer was the only way to please everyone . . . even herself, for once.

And so even though travelling with Mavis and Liam was unexpected, Shihong thought that maybe she could simply stay quiet and fade into the background, and just pray that nobody would have any issues with her. Opening her mouth was always a bad idea, after all. Either she accidentally offended someone, said something stupid, or caused a plethora of problems with a mixture of them both. That's what her mother and father said, at least.

Inwardly, Shihong recited a quote that she once wrote in her notebook. _Just agree with everything they say. Fighting back will only get you in deeper shit._

"Yes," she practically whispered, trying not to look too pathetic, even though she was practically putting on her own leash. "Yes, I understand."

Liam looked at Shihong incredulously. What? How could she just go along with Mavis' authoritative nature?

Mavis smiled, turning back around. "Good. At least someone has some respect around here."

And with that, the girl continued walking down the road of Route One, the swagger in her step almost too much for Liam to bear. But instead of arguing still, wasting even more of their time, he just put his hands in his pocket and followed the conceited girl at a slower pace. Shihong would have followed after them, obediently keeping her mouth shut while inwardly hating herself . . .

But that's when her eyes caught sight of a small Spearow, aimlessly pecking the ground.

Normally, Shihong would have just continued to walk, while admiring the beautiful Pokémon from a distance. That's what her mother and father taught her, after all; they didn't want her to really play with the wild Pokémon that sometimes roamed Pallet Town, in fear of her enduring the same fate as her brother. But . . . But Shihong wasn't Pallet Town anymore. She was in Route One; she was a Pokédex Holder; she was finally on her own, at least metaphorically. They didn't rule her anymore. She could do whatever she want.

It was passive aggressiveness at it's finest, but she didn't care. This was her own way of fighting back — against her parents, against Mavis, against . . . _everyone_.

"I choose you," she mumbled, grabbing the lone Pokéball off of her belt. "Bulbasaur . . !"

Shihong pressed the white button in the middle of the Pokéball, releasing her starter in a flash of green. Both Mavis and Liam turned around at the sudden commotion; the former with an indignant expression crossing her features, while the latter looked more confused than anything. Standing there with an almost shell-shocked expression on his green face, the Bulbasaur made a noise of shock, while the wild Spearow glanced at the other Pokémon in bewilderment.

Shihong took a deep breath, staring at the bird with an almost hungry expression in her eyes. It _would_ be hers. Even if actually harming another living thing didn't sit well with her, it was for the good of . . . her.

Finally, she was doing something for the good of herself.

"What are you doing, Shihong?" Mavis demanded, her eyebrows furrowed. "We don't have all day, y'know? I want to get to Viridian City before night—"

"Who cares?" Liam interrupted, watching the sudden battle with a glimmer in his eyes. His first official wild Pokémon battle . . . Or, well, the first one that he was officially seeing. Just the thought alone made him happy. "You got this, Shihong! Beat that bird up!"

Mavis groaned, shaking her head. _Fine, I'll let them play for a bit, but that's it. After this little battle, we're going to continue walking, and we won't stop for anything._

She could keep telling herself that, at least.

"Um . . ." Shihong opened her green Pokédex, pointing it at the Spearow before quickly reading the information that immediately popped on the screen. According to the device, she'd have to finish this battle before it decided to either fly away or call upon it's friends . . . and that was something that didn't need to be happening. Next, the short girl pointed the Pokédex at her Bulbasaur, and read the moves that shown after a quick scan.

Professor Oak really was amazing.

"Okay . . . T-Twig." Shihong blushed at the random nickname that tumbled out of her mouth. _T-Twig? Really? Why?_ Trying to ignore the confused expressions of her companions, the girl pointed at the Spearow, who still looked slightly confused at what was happening. "Use Tackle!"

Bulbasaur looked back at his trainer, frowning. As far as Bulbasaur went, they were a pretty lax species, but this one in particular had a really gentle nature. He was perfect for Shihong, who was fairly gentle herself . . . but not necessarily perfect for battling. Professor Oak already told him that he was going to be embarking on a journey with a new trainer, so he understood what was happening, but still . . . It didn't mean that he liked it.

That's when the Spearow finally realized what was happening and sprung into action, flying at the Bulbasaur and attacking with it's beak. Shihong gasped, and Bulbasaur barely managed to turn around in time before the Spearow was pecking at it's face.

"R-Run away?!" Shihong stuttered, her mind a complete blank. She didn't know what to do in a situation like this. Learning theory was one thing, but actually partaking in a battle was another. What was she supposed to do?

Thankfully, Bulbasaur had a mind of it's own, and quickly jumped away from the attacking Spearow. Wincing at the small cuts marring his face, Bulbasaur huffed, glaring at the other Pokémon. It's blood boiled, just slightly. Gentle it may have been, it didn't like getting hurt, especially for no reason.

"Use Tackle, T-Twig!" Shihong exclaimed, her voice growing just a bit stronger, her eyes growing just a bit sharper. She didn't like hurting other Pokémon, but she definitely didn't like for her own Pokémon to be harmed. Even if they were just barely acquainted, that didn't stop her from already caring for the small animal.

Bulbasaur charged at the Spearow, effectively tackling it to the ground with a rough push. The Spearow squaked in defiance, using Growl to lower the Bulbasaur's attack . . . but Bulbasaur simply shrugged off the noise and jumped atop the Spearow's fallen body, injuring it even more.

Liam began cheering, fist-pumping the air beside Shihong. "Woohoo! You're winning! Just hit it a few more time and it'll be over with!"

Mavis simply watched the battle, silent, a condescending smirk on her face. They were both _such_ noobs, and it was painfully obvious to anyone with eyes. Shihong obviously didn't know what she was doing, and Liam's incessant cheering clearly showed how experienced he was. Mavis really wanted to know how they passed Professor Oak's exam. Did he pull their names out of a hat?

Shihong quickly went inside of her bag, taking out a shiny red-and-white Pokéball. Along with their Pokédexes, Professor Oak supplied them all with many more items that would surely give them a head-start against the other newbie trainers. Rubbing her thumb against the ball, Shihong looked up, just in time to see the Spearow peck her Bulbasaur away.

"It's going to get away," Mavis said, feigning disinterest by staring at her nails. And just as she predicted, the Spearow weakly flew into the air, squawking at the Bulbasaur in anger before turning around.

But Shihong wasn't about to let her hard work and sudden determination go to waste. She was going to capture this Spearow, whether it wanted to be caught or not. Nothing was going to stop her.

"T-Twig, use Tackle one more time to knock it out of the air!"

The Bulbasaur nodded, rubbing his paws against the ground before charging at the fleeing bird. Spearow turned around, blinking at the sight of the grass-type running towards it — but before it could even _think_ of dodging, Bulbasaur jumped off the ground and slammed his head against the bird. Spearow squaked one last time before falling to the ground, trembling, it's entire body in pain.

This was it. This was her chance. Shihong quickly took aim at the bird and tossed the Pokéball at it, watching with bated breath as the contraption fell atop the Spearow's head and immediately opened. With a red flash, the bird Pokémon was swiftly sucked into the ball, not a sound of retaliation uttered.

Seconds passed. Silence.

. . . And then Liam started jumping up and down, cheerfulness exuding from his body. "YOU DID IT! YOU CAUGHT HIM! WOOHOO, YOU GO, SHIHONG!"

The short sixteen-year-old blushed in response, hiding her smile behind her hand. She _did_ do it. She _did_ catch the Spearow. Out of all of them, quiet little Shihong was the first one to actually catch a wild Pokémon. It was exhilarating, and it made her confidence swell — just a little.

Liam's smile was entirely too wide, but he didn't care. Shihong's capture renewed him of the fire that constantly threatened to explode, residing deep beneath his brown eyes. Forget Mavis and her superiority problems; Liam was finally a Pokémon trainer, finally on a journey to become someone in this crazy world. He wasn't going to let his travelling mate ruin his good mood. He was going to be the _best_. He was going all the way to the very top!

"Alright, it's my turn to catch a Pokémon!" he exclaimed, clenching the straps of his backpack before running off. "I bet that I'll get the strongest one, too!"

"W-Wait!" Mavis shouted, dumbfounded at how easily she was cast aside — but Liam continued running down the trail, oblivious to her shouts. She stared at his retreating form, and then turned around to stare at Shihong, who was holding the Pokéball that she used to catch the Spearow. Also not paying her any attention.

Mavis sucked her teeth . . . before taking out Squirtle's Pokéball, determination flashing behind her black shades. If they wanted to waste time . . . then fine! She could do the same. Maybe not exactly waste time, but . . . but she could at least train her newly received starter before heading into Viridian.

Yeah, that's what she'd do. Train. Not goof off like Liam, or recklessly start catching Pokémon like Shihong. She'd train.

And after that? Well, it'd be off to Viridian City after that.

* * *

"How much longer do we have?" Zion Volt whined. His feet were killing him, and the sun's rays were seriously starting to burn at his skin. Not only that, but it felt like they had been walking for _hours_ — when, in reality, it hadn't been much more than an hour.

Still, it felt like a long time, and Zion was starting to get tired of it.

Tobi Grey looked down at the silver watch attached to his wrist, one of the few possessions that he managed to grab in the altercation with his mother. He couldn't find his black sunglasses in time, unfortunately, but hopefully he could manage to win a few battles and buy a replacement?

It was the small things that Tobi had to latch onto, 'less he'd go insane. Being kicked out of his own home was one thing, and not having any supplies or money to take care of himself as a trainer was another. If Tobi didn't focus on the future small victories, such as buying new sunglasses and maybe even going as far as to win a gym badge . . .

Well, he'd probably get all emotional again. And just once was embarrassing enough.

"Um, I think we've been walking for an hour or two?" Tobi supplied, gripping the straps of Zion's backpack. It wasn't as heavy as the lazy boy made it seem, but carrying it for over an hour was starting to get taxing. _Really_ taxing.

Nonetheless, Tobi persevered, eager to use this as a way to repay the other teenager for helping him out an hour ago. Zion could've simply ignored Tobi, or even teased him for being such a crybaby. But instead, he reignited the passion that Tobi almost lost sight of, and even managed to renew his faith of the human species. The boy was extraordinarily grateful.

Zion groaned. "So how much longer do we have until we get there?"

"I think I read somewhere that it takes about six hours to walk from Pallet to Viridian," Tobi replied, thinking back to his night of studying for Professor Oak's exam. "So, um, just four hours left? I think?"

Zion sighed, a type of sigh that left the other person feeling just as exhausted. He knew that journeying the Kanto Region wasn't going to be an easy task, and he knew that he'd probably have to walk wherever he wanted to go . . . but _damn_. He wasn't the most energetic guy in the first place, so this was a bit of a stretch.

He just wanted to start training, or to start challenging gyms, or to start winning tournaments. Everything else was way too unimportant and . . . and menial.

Tobi, on the other hand, wasn't really feeling as sluggish as Zion seemed to be. The bag was heavy and definitely starting to wear him down, but it wasn't like Tobi couldn't handle it. It was expected, after all; if the sixteen-year-old had started his journey normally, then he'd be carrying his own bag.

Zion, though, didn't seem to be feeling the same way. Tobi could tell by the way his shoulders sagged that he was extremely tired.

He offered the other boy a small smile. "Do you want to rest a little?"

"What?" Zion looked up in surprise, a soft shade of embarrassment crossing his cheeks. "Uh, no. I'm good. We don't have to stop because of me." Zion was shameless when it came to displaying his laziness, sure, but he wasn't the type of person to inconvenience other people because of it. The boy could be dying of thirst, but actually _asking_ for something to drink was just something he wouldn't do.

Tobi shrugged, nodding in understanding. Silence overcame them yet again as they continued to walk the dirt trail of Route One.

". . . I mean, if _you_ want to take a break . . ."

Zion refrained himself from blushing, looking away to hide the small bit of red that tried to cross his face. Tobi wanted to laugh at the other boy, but he didn't quite feel like they were on that level of friendship yet. If one could even call them friends; Tobi didn't even know if they were actually traveling together, or if he was simply holding the other boy's bag until they got to Viridian.

Shaking those thoughts out of his head, Tobi stopped walking and gave the other teenager a small grin. "Alright, let's rest for a bit. You have any food?"

Five minutes later . . . Zion and Tobi were sitting on the side of the road, right next to a large rock. Both boys were snacking on a bag of chips — Tobi trying not to show how hungry he really was by eating as slow as he could manage, while Zion unashamedly ate like a wild Mankey. Another peaceful silence overtook them as Pidgey and Spearow chirped in the distance.

Right beside them, their Pokémon were starting to get acquainted with each other, while also eating a healthy dose of Pokémon food. At first, Tobi's Teddiursa was confused as to why they were in Route One with some other trainer, but the boy promised to explain everything at a later time. Zion's Pichu, in contrast, was cheerful and playful and extremely extroverted; it didn't question any of the circumstances, and quickly made conversation with the slightly reserved Teddiursa.

It was a tiny bit overbearing at times, but Zion was just happy that Pichu hadn't shocked Tobi and Teddiursa. Clearly it must have really already liked them.

"So, um." Tobi took another careful bite of his chips, his stomach rumbling for him to eat faster. "Why are you . . . Um, I mean, what's your goal?"

"My goal?" Zion repeated, confused. "What do you mean?"

"What are you trying to accomplish by going on this journey?" Tobi clarified, trying to get over his shyness. He couldn't afford to be shy with the person he'd probably be spending a lot of time with. He had to get used to speaking.

It wasn't like Tobi had many friends, though. There was only one girl — Kathy — that Tobi would call his friend . . . but not even she knew all of his secrets. Not even she knew that he was gay. Tobi didn't want to tell anyone else after the negative response of both his family and . . . Nathan.

"Oh." Zion yawned, starting to feel a little sleepy. Typical; at home, he'd always fall asleep right after eating. It was a blessing that he had a high metabolism, or else he probably wouldn't be able to get out of the bed in the mornings. "Well, I just want to get all eight gym badges, and just see what happens next. Maybe I'll win some tournament and get really popular, or maybe I'll challenge the Elite Four or something? I don't really know . . . Thinking that far is too much work."

Tobi giggled a little at the other boy's lazy demeanor. Zion wouldn't last five days with Tobi's mother. She'd whip him into shape . . . or kill him. Either option was plausible when dealing with her.

"But what about you?" Zion asked, not wanting the conversation to awkwardly ebb away. "Why did you become a Pokémon trainer?"

"Um, well, I've always loved Pokémon," Tobi started, a melancholic smile forming on his face as the memories started coming back to him. "It was just redirected of me, y'know? I mean, I like the idea of being a trainer, but I don't think my family would have supported anything else. My . . . mom was a top coordinator, so she's really strict, and expects for her children to be just as successful as she was. And—"

"She's dumb," Zion interrupted, noticing how hard it was getting for Tobi to talk about the mother that pushed him away just a few hours ago. He didn't like that, at all, and he wanted Tobi to know how screwed up that was. Even if he was a bit blunt . . . "My dad doesn't really care what I do. Hell, he works at the PokéMart, so it's not very hard to be more successful than him. Still, parents shouldn't push their children too hard . . ."

Tobi nodded, swallowing down his emotions. He was thankful for Zion's blunt way of talking; it was good for someone to reinforce his belief that his mother was wrong. Because she was. She had to be wrong.

"Anyway," he continued. "My dad was a Pokémon Ranger. So—"

"Wait, really? Your dad's a Pokémon Ranger?" Zion interrupted, abruptly sitting up. Tobi hesitated a bit, before nodding. Telling Zion that his dad was currently six feet underground probably wasn't the best idea. "That's so cool, dude! My brother was a Pokémon Ranger! He had to retire, because he got in this accident, but . . . Yeah! Small world, huh?"

Tobi nodded a little. "The smallest."

Zion sat back against the rock, smiling to himself. He didn't know why he suddenly felt the need to be so talkative. Unless he was talking to his family, Zion was quiet and reserved — though that didn't stop him from complaining, or saying something extraordinarily candid. He just didn't normally start conversations, and he didn't normally engage in them either.

But with Tobi, something was different. Maybe it was the realization that Tobi was also a quiet guy, and had just been kicked out of his home for an incredibly stupid reason; Zion didn't need to fear that the other teenager would eventually leave him, and so he could be himself.

There was still that annoying voice in the back of his head, whispering that Tobi was just like every other human-being in this world, whispering that Tobi was just like Zion's mother. _They will all leave_ , it said. _You open yourself up, leave yourself vulnerable . . . and then you get hurt. No exception._

Zion shook his head, looking up at the clear blue sky. "Anyway," he said. "Sorry for interrupting. You can continue."

"It's okay. It's not much, anyway." Tobi shrugged at the other sixteen-year-old. "Overall, I don't know what I'm really gunning for. Getting all the badges seems like a good goal, but . . . I dunno. I just want to . . . I want to prove my mom wrong. I want to show her that I'm not a failure."

Zion grinned. _That's the spirit._ He stood up and stretched his tired bones, while Tobi just blinked in confusion. Looking down at the other boy, Zion outstretched his hand, offering to help him up. "Come on, I think we've rested long enough. You can't prove your mom wrong by just sitting there, right?"

On the sidelines, Teddiursa and Pichu stared at the scene, a bit confused. But when Tobi eventually smiled, grabbed Zion's hand and heaved himself up, the two Pokémon realized that they didn't really need to understand what was going on. Their owners were friends, obviously . . . and that was all that needed to be known.

"Are you really ready?" Tobi asked, reaching for the backpack — but before he could grab it, Zion reached out and took it instead. Tobi just blinked in confusion, while Zion just winked.

"I think I can carry my own bag now," he said, pulling it around his shoulders. There was a pause, and Zion could already feel the backpack weighing him down. ". . . For a few minutes."

They both laughed, and even their Pokémon couldn't help but join along. It was the start of a new friendship; both parties could easily see that. Tobi relied on Zion's positivity and honest personality, because otherwise he'd probably still be a crying mess in front of Pallet Town. Zion relied on Tobi's inner willpower and courage to keep them both going, because otherwise his laziness would surely get the better of him.

They were a good match, whether they saw it or not.

"Anyway," Zion said, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "Let's get on to Viridian City, shall we?"

Tobi nodded, determination flashing in his clear eyes, overpowering the emotional storm that swirled inside of him.

"Let's go."

* * *

 **Yeah, I will admit that I'm a bit iffy on how this chapter turned out. I feel like I either drag things out too long, or I don't have anything to write about so I just put in random stuff. I don't know. I really want to get to certain scenes that I've planned out, but I realize that I first need to create a basis, and you guys need to get to know these characters without me dumping a bunch of information in your faces. Sooooo yeah, I dunno. And also, this is my first time actually writing 3rd person (I'm much more proficient in 1st person), so my writing style feels a bit weirder than what I'm used to. IDK. Just know that I'm iffy on how this turned out, and I understand if you didn't really enjoy reading it that much.**

 **erk.**

* * *

 **B-But anyway, THE POLL RESULTS ARE IN! You can just check on my profile (at the very top where you voted at) if you want the full results, but the winner of the poll was Tobi Grey! Woohoo! Shihong Zhang won second place, and then a bunch of characters got third lmao. So yeah, congratulations Tobi! And congratulations Shihong!**

* * *

 **Okay, I think that's enough from me. For those of you who have PMed me without a response, just know that I'll be getting to that sometime tomorrow. I'm the absolute worst at replying to PMs, and I apologuze for that.**

 **But anyway, see you next time! Don't forget to review and stuff!**

 **Bai!**


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